“Courage is not the absence of fear it is the ability to act in the presence of it.”
So said the legendary martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee (similar quotes have been attributed to the likes of Nelson Mandela and Franklin D. Roosevelt). By the same measure, courage is also about moving forward and acting positively in the face of challenge and adversity. Something we can all relate to.
On a daily basis and to varying degrees, we all wrestle with unique emotional and circumstantial challenges. And yet, more often than not, we continue to move forward incrementally and engage in positive daily action. Every day, we roll out of bed to get behind our computers, steering wheels and cameras to work and create. We put on uniforms and stethoscopes to serve. We nurture our kids and pets, engage in exercise, read and learn, attend to mundane chores or simply check in with friends and family. And we do all these things against the many minor or major forces of adversity or resistance that pull on us from within and outside. So, as clichéd as it might sound, courage (i.e. acting in the face of fear or adversity) is very much a feature of our daily lives, whether you care to admit it or not.
I find it particularly motivating when I learn about people who, in circumstances far more challenging than my own, manage not only to keep moving forward, but achieve great things and inspire others in the process. We can find such people in our own lives, in history books or online. Just tune into the Ted Talk channel if you fancy a quick fix. Of course, in our case, we’re tuned into all things Iran. The Know Iran website takes particular pride in helping share positive and inspiring stories from Iran.
Recent posts on the website and Instagram page featured young Iranian entrepreneurs, architects, mathematicians, pilots and sportswomen who’ve achieved inspiring feats in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Take for example two tech startups, Cafe Bazar and Snapp, that have not only moved forward despite US sanctions but actually turned the challenge of the sanctions to their benefit and developed into multi-million dollar businesses: a perfect demonstration of the central tenant of stoic philosophy - ‘the obstacle is the way’!
We also shared stories of women that have battled various odds to achieve prominence in the fields of aviation, sport and mathematics. The field of aviation is male dominated anywhere you go in the world. Fly anywhere from anywhere and the overwhelming likelihood is you’ll hear the voice of a male pilot at the start and end of your journey. And so, any young girl dreaming of becoming a pilot has an arguably steeper climb to face than boys with the same ambition simply by virtue of the stigmas and stereotypes that they must contend with. This certainly holds true in Iran as well.
Know Iran was therefore proud to highlight the story of Captain Neshat Jahandari and her first officer Forouz Firouzi. In October 2019 they flew the first all-woman piloted passenger planes on round trips between Tehran and the city of Mashhad. Jahandari and Firouzi’s endeavours and achievements can surely remind and inspire millions of young girls, in Iran and well beyond, that with hard work they can be and do anything they set their sights on – even if outside of the norm.
Then there is Farnaz Esmaeilzadeh, the fastest female rock-climber in Iran. Like countless other female sports figures in the country and elsewhere, she has been stretching beyond her comfort zone to underline once again that hard work, commitment and courage can lead you to great heights. And of course, there is Maryam Mirzakhani. She was the first and still only female ever to win the prestigious Field Medal – the most coveted prize in mathematics. This from a girl who started out believing she was no good at maths and even told so by her grade 6 teachers. Maryam, who we sadly lost to breast cancer in 2017, showed us what can be achieved by bravely persevering in the face of perhaps the most formidable obstacles of all: self-doubt and the judgments of others.
Incidentally, Maryam’s mathematical work has had implications on the big bang theory (that is, of course, the actual big bang that supposedly created our universe as opposed to the more light-hearted comedy series of the same name). This leads nicely to a point I’d like to end with - by referencing a chapter from my favorite work of non-fiction: The Road Less Travelled, by Scott Peck. This classic international bestseller from the mid-seventies has since informed the work of other great thinkers in the field of psychology, self-improvement and spirituality (Jordan Peterson seemingly included) and is a read I’d highly recommend to everyone.
Towards the end, the book briefly touches on the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In extremely simplistic terms (physicists please excuse the forthcoming butchering) this law dictates that energy flows from a state of greater organisation to lesser organisation and that ever since the so-called big bang, the universe has been effectively winding down. To this end, the theory implies that in several billion years the universe should wind down to a state of complete chaos, to the point that it will eventually end up as a giant, chaotic blob! Puts Covid-19 into some perspective!
This evolutionary propensity towards less organisation is termed as the force of ‘entropy’ and Peck argues that it also exists within us, in the form of lethargy, laziness and fear. The key take-away here, is that that despite this natural law, evolution has seen organisms and humans move in the opposing direction, towards greater organisation, complexity, growth and achievement. This process is, according to Peck, miraculous in that it defies the said natural law and thus points to a higher order and force working in the universe and also within us:
“… the miracle is that resistance [to spiritual growth] is overcome. We do grow. Despite all that resists the process, we do become better human beings. Not all of us, not easily. But in significant numbers humans somehow manage to improve themselves and their cultures…there is a force that somehow pushes us to choose the more difficult path…Those who achieve growth not only enjoy the fruits of growth but give the same fruits to the world.”
But what, according to Peck, is this force that pushes us as individuals and as a species to grow against the natural resistance of our own fear and laziness? It is love - love defined as the act of extending oneself in the interest of personal growth or the growth of someone else:
“When we grow, it is because we are working at it, and we are working at it because we love ourselves. It is through love that we elevate ourselves. And it is through our love for others that we assist others to elevate themselves.”
If you are still here, can you see where I’m going with this? Quite a sentimental stretch perhaps, but surely worthwhile. For the courageous and ultimately loving efforts and achievements of young entrepreneurs, architects, pilots, climbers and mathematicians amongst others -in Iran and beyond- are fruits of growth and love that the whole world should know, enjoy and benefit from. At the very least, they remind and inspire me, and I hope you too, to continue moving forward, in love.
In loving memory of Maryam Mirzakhani…
Courtesy of Bow Valley College. Source: Youtube, 2019