I did not know the Bahia's love music so much. This passage really struck a cord with me, "music is a ladder by which souls may ascend to the realm on high. Change it not into wings for self and passion..." I grew up secular but if you put a gun to my head and say pick I would probably say Russian Orthodox or Lutheran because that is what I grew up with. I know you are not trying to convert me to the Bahai faith however, I shall study the teachings of Baha'u'llah. I know about the problems of prejudice in Iran, and I felt it when I visited some family in Tabriz. Another remember mentioned, "IF you are black, don't let the sun hit your back in East Azerbaijan." Sadly, it is true and like all cultures, there is good and bad. My cultures all have one thing in common, be it Germanic/Bavarian Slavic Russian or Azeri Irooni. Since these cultures are very much homogeneous, the prejudice and racism is real. I have heard so many stupid remarks like, "Marry a German or Russian girl to keep the bloodline pure."
How stupid is that mentality, if I marry a German or Russian girl, it is because there is a common language, culture, customs and an understanding. However, I am open minded and dated girls from other cultures, even black girls(shocking to some of my family members) but again I do not see color. I have one theory why it is magnified in East Azerbaijan. That region is very mountainous, the Arbas and Mongols never reached there, from my understanding. That is why Azeris, Russians, and Germans have this mentality of keeping the bloodline pure.
I have found Iranians to be very welcoming to farangi people/foreigners. Although I have an Iranian passport, they view me as a foreigner, despite the fact that I can speak the language. My dad explained it to me though that unlike the USA, where people are mean and hate foreigners, Iran is not like that. Everywhere I went in Iran: be it Tehran, Mashad, Shiraz, Tabriz or Esvahan, I was welcomed with open arms. `
I hope one day there is a brighter future for Iranians and Iran. In order for that to happen though, we must be patient and wait. As I always preach, patience is MASTERY. One day, in my lifetime, there will be a revolution against the Islmaic Republic. I mentioned this story before. When I was 8, on Friday, my school went to a camping trip, in Sequoia National Forrest. I come back on Monday and look at the LA times and see SOVIET UNION is NO MORE. CCCP/ZSSR is GONE and my dream came true. I hope the same thing happens again, one day for Iran. I would like to return to Iran one day but it is not safe for me right now because I happened to be an American military officer. If they discover my military record, I am as good as dead and even my dad mentioned that it is too risky. In the meantime I will use my other PP's and visit Germany and Russia. Good thing if one of your family was born in those countries, you can become a citizen of Germany or Russia. I have a weird and interesting familial history but I am diverse, and a true representative of Americans. I am basically a Euro mutt but I am open minded because I grew up with different languages being spoken in the house and was raised in So Cal, a cultural melting pot. I hope that one day our hamvatnas rise up. One thing is we can't do it with foreign help, this must be from within we can't have a foreign boot in our soil or it will make it illegitimate. I pray for the future of Iran and wish all of my Iranian brothers and sisters, domestic and abroad, all the best. Of course I mean the good Iranians, such as yourself. Take Islam out of Iran, i know it will always be apart of the culture but don't make it the focal point and apart of the government. There should be a genuine separation of church and state. what I mean by church is religion not Christianity.