National Identity Today when I was thinking about the subject of my first writing for my site, many subjects came to my mind but I decided to address an issue that I think it encompasses a lot of other important subjects and it was nothing except of national identity. What is the public concept of national identity? (Taken from Wikipedia) National identity is the sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, language and politics. I want to start the introduction with some Bayt (poetry phrases) of Rumi to show the sense better. The song of the reed 1- Listen to the reed (flute), how it is complaining! It is telling about separations, 2- (saying), "ever since i was severed from the reed field, men and women have lamented in (the presence of) my shrill cries. 3- "(but) I want a heart (which is) torn, torn from separation, so that I may explain the pain of yearning." 4- "Anyone one who has remained far from his roots, Seeks a return (to the) time of his union. (Rumi) I have been born in Iran, a country with ancient civilization and widely recognized and unique characters, champions and kings from Zoroaster and Cyrus to Avicenna (Avecina), Khayam and Saadi whom their words is teaching in universities or has inscribed on UN building entrance. The sons of Adam are limbs of each other, having been created of one essence. When the calamity of time affects one limb, the other limbs cannot remain at rest. If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others, you are unworthy to be called by the name of a human. (Saadi – another translation is in second link of the sources below) Iran, where, I am proud of it when I study or think about 2500 years of its imperial history. Where, change of it by Alexander and then Muslims attacks changed the world destiny subsequently. Perhaps, if this period continued and Iranian kings were still in power, the world would be a better place to live. But now, let me return to present. Revolutionary Iran and a generation who was born in and has experienced some unbelievable and uncommon events like war, radical religious intolerance, elimination of speech and religious freedom, Execution of liberals, intellectuals and patriots, poverty, prostitution and corruption, drug addiction, massacre of political prisoners, destruction of environment, ancient relics and cultural heritages (for example; Sivand flooding for indirect destruction of Pasargad, installation of high voltage tower in middle of Ferdosi tomb as the nationalist poet and the creator of the longest poem ever written: Shahnameh – the epic book of kings, water sale to Arabic country while country itself is facing with water crisis and Zayandeh rood and Uromiyeh lake drought, providing hunting license to foreign hunters for hunting extincting animals and sever neglect to Persian Gulf and bad biological status of rare aquatics, …) according to himself and many of older generations. I mean the darkest days in history of Iran. 36 years ago, Iran as a ship was directed toward gradual death whirlpool by some strong but stained with blood hands that abused the ignorance of a nation and it has gotten to that point that its counting breaths are heard well and this time, it is not clear whether this phoenix who has burnt in fires frequently can rise from his ashes once more with the presence of such unprecedented government or a dark future is awaiting him. Now, what is the relevance of this introduction with national identity and why do dictators and super powers that have had a role in organizing revolutions like Iran revolution consider the destruction of national identity as one of their first goals and try to separate the nations from it? Yes, it has a direct relationship with decadence and collapse of that country in all aspects including prevention of its development completely. I think dictatorships are necessary for super powers to reach them to their goals in the world. All of the dictatorial governments have similar behaviors. They are attempting to broadcast national nonidentity, incuriosity and disinterest toward the real culture and history and even history falsification among the captured or deceived nations. But here, a question arises: why do they do such work? Let us analyze this subject from a psychological viewpoint. Dictators are professional psychologist and know it well that character is the existence nature of every person and can control his behavior toward the society and make him some ones like Achaemenian and Sasanian kings of Iran and many of good history makers like Gandhi, leonardo da vinci, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Alva Edison and etc or some ones (dictators) like … (oh, sorry I must censor myself here) and so affects on the fate of nations subsequently. It is the national identity that someone with knowing it, will be able to find out his real character, existence values, potentials and abilities for example as an Iranian and all these give him a pride that he will never go to wrong way, will never be cheated by enemies and won’t let himself go less far than particular moral area in accordance with his regulations, culture and civilization. Therefore, he will go to increasing progress faster. Just like situation prevailed in Iran before revolution and precisely because of this progress, regime change was inevitable in Iran. But, what makes a character? Some factors or elements as thoughts, opinions, beliefs, insights, awareness, perception, interests, education and training by family and government and presence or lack of freedom are the components of someone’s character in my opinion. Dictators try to change all these components to overcome or better to say replace their own new, specific and desirable thoughts in people’s mind of a country. Then, if they destroy national identity in one country, they will be able to change and destabilize individual’s personality and thus the character of a society. Therefore, they will be successful to transform the resulting dough to their favorable form and even lead to disproof and accept them with open arms by the same people who are worshiping their historical enemies now. Yes, this method has answered during different periods and even resulted in change of religious beliefs of some societies. Dictators do this at any cost, direct or indirect, openly (I mean by force, violence, torture and murder) or completely statesmanlike. They move forward as far as not only impassioning domestic foolish, fanatic, irrational people who clichéd in a series of parroting thoughts and behavior against their country’s real values (ethic, culture and civilization), but also authorizing to some foreign inconscient people to allow themselves to make films such as 300, Argo, Alexander and etc without studying historical valid sources and falsify the history clearly. I’m wondering why they have not made the real ones. I’m sure they will be more beautiful and perhaps less expensive. Anyway, let us answer to one question here: now, and with all these explanations, what should be done for fighting against such evil plots and why do many of Iranian Prominent figures like Ferdisi, Avecina, Hafez, Khayam and … who were Muslims (either by force and for saving their lives, by their own will or they were born from Muslim families) changed their religion to be Zoroastrian? What has been proven for centuries and has been recorded in history is that returning to real and positive (I mean moral and humanitarian) roots and origins of a nation and protecting that can always be able to pull out the nation from swamp of events, misfortunes and failures or at least prevent them from drowning in it and this won’t be done unless with love, scrutiny of valid sources and increase of our knowledge about our national identity, respect and loyalty to our civilization and culture, thanksgiving and appreciation of our assets as our fatherland is the most valuable among them and at last, correct information transfer to the next generations as a precious heritage. Our future generation must know that love to their country; honorable ancestors and moral values associated with it or in one phrase National Identity is the defensive shield that protect its followers from turbulences, wars, treats and negative changes during hard periods. All the prominent figures who became Zoroastrian and found the courage to publicize it in their works, found out all the above-mentioned cases well. Unfortunately, national identity as it deserves to be is less visible in today’s world and its related consequences are more evident every day more than before. Finally, I must say However, I don’t know that how far today’s human can run toward the danger in the current materialistic world governed by money where it is possible to buy everything even national identity, I’m happy to say that I know myself belonging to the civilized and glorious 2500 years periods of Iranian imperial history and not to regime I was born in, being in absolute contradiction with that periods. So, all these bring me to the result that national identity is all intellectual and financial assets of a nation. It means everything. Some sources: http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/longest-poem-every-written-shahnameh-epic-book-kings-002747 http://richardjnewman.com/my-books/selections-from-saadis-gulistan/ And some sad and embarrassing links about environmental disaster created by the Islamic Republic in Iran: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33818391 http://www.huntinginiran.com/global/comment.htm http://tabakovhunt.com/en/countries/Iran-18 Some other links about Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNdZso7ek2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oij99bDBoOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FidkfaAbwHk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCjOk2t6Ah4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_executions_of_Iranian_political_prisoners