Hell under theocracy
Art-in-Mind
A close friend of mine and I had decided to leave hell many years ago. A week before our departure she changed her mind, and so I left alone to a yet undetermined final destination. I didn’t care where I would end up, as any place cooler than hell was good enough for me. After a few nomadic migrations to different parts of the world, I finally settled in a metropolitan, diverse, and free city, the polar opposite of hell.
Forgetting that the walls have ears, my friend and I kept our contact. Soon she lost her job and had to spend some time in prison for being in touch with an infidel. We then stopped all communications until recently. She made my day, when I heard her voice.
I wanted to know about the current challenges in hell, where she decided to stay. She said it was hot for her and burning for those with a less tolerant skin. She talked about the difficulties and the hopes of those who have not given up on humanity’s universal ideals. We talked about the similarities and the differences of our views. We both agreed there was discrimination against doubters, non-believers, women, and other minorities, and felt sorry for the recent victims of the president’s violence. I blamed the theocracy, the root of the hell making business, for it. I emphasized that the current non-clerical yet more fanatic president, the pupil of theocracy, should be arrested.
She surprised me with a controversial counter argument: The president is the best they have had since the regime change. He is fighting the corrupt theocracy that determines every aspect of people’s life in hell. His words and actions are consistent, as he supports the poor, talks like them, dresses like them, and behaves like them, despite having the opportunity to do the opposite. He does not bend to the West because of the historical Eurocentric, colonialist, manipulative, and arrogant attitude of the Western politicians. He has international allies who challenge the hypocrisy of the Western politicians. He is straight forward against the occupation of the land of the most troubled people in the region. He relates to his supreme leader the way the majority of the poor and uneducated farmers, workers, and soldiers relate to him. He knows his rivals and has the skill to deal with them by using their own means. He made the self serving elites of various camps including some naïve intellectuals show their true colors and unite under the green banner of their prophet.
I was not sure if my friend’s argument was due to fear from the walls. I said, it is interesting that instead of “God is troubled”, the united camp started shouting “God is great”, a slogan that has kept the region underdeveloped for centuries. She had no comment but disagreed with me when I said that the country is going backward.
She argued that the steps backward could lead to gaining momentum and jumping forward with full force when the time is ready. Despite going backward in some areas, the progress is other areas such as technology, science, art, music, literature, cinema, and the participation of women in the academic and work force are some undeniable facts.
Wait and watch where we will end up in a few years. I said, if I had her patience, I would have changed my mind and stayed in hell too. I admired her tolerance and said I doubt if the president is aware of what he is doing.
Who cares about your doubt, she said. Do you really think you and people like you in the West play any role in our daily life? I said, yes I do. I reminded her that through our self serving efforts abroad, people are searching for alternatives other than living in hell at home. I teased her that because of our contact at least she ended up in jail and gained a new insight about the real challenges in life and how to deal with them. Thank you for your help, she said laughingly. I told her how sorry I was for what happened to her because of being in contact with me. Generously she had forgiven me, as I had forgiven her for changing her mind and not leaving hell with me.
She then talked about her hopes. She said regardless of whether or not the president is aware of what he is doing, he has made many people think differently about the role of religion in their life. Once the time for jumping forward has come, as was the case after the Middle Ages in Europe, the people will no longer accept theocracy and the mixture of religion and state. Once the majority of the people are enlightened, it is unlikely they will bend to a new supreme leader after the current one passes.
She was optimistic and strengthened my own optimism. We agreed that although hell has burned many bodies, it has strengthened many minds to be tolerant and hopeful that change is inevitable and due to come regardless of who the president is.
After our tense discussion, we came to our senses and had a long chat talked about the beautiful aspects of life even in hell. We talked about sweet memories, the classmates, the teachers, the chases in the city during the winter, the celebratory spirit of life during the spring, the mountain hikes during the summer, and the secretive and poetic nights with a forbidden drink during the fall. I didn’t see her yes, but mine were teary with joy. Her sigh and chuckle were reflective of the same experience I was going through. We realized that we were not only in different worlds but also in different time zones. She was heading to bed and I to work. She wished me a beautiful day without daydreaming and I wished her a good night without nightmares but full of hopeful dreams.
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August 11, 2009
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