A Promise
- on 05.15.07
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When I was in high school, my friend and I made a promise, her name is Azadeh too. We were so much into being better human beings and defined our own system. It was quite simple and effective. If you do anything wrong you should pay a few Tomans, Iranian currency where 1 USD is 850 Tomans. As far as I remember our system had some sort of reward for good acts too, but we were in debt all the time. At the end of the school year, we spent the money to go to an art museum and have pizza together which was pretty surprising for me. The system worked really good for me not because I had to pay for my faults, but mostly because I am too competitive and I could not stand to be worse than her. Or to be honest, I strongly care about my public image.
Now I am going to make the same system for myself and use my friends here as the motivation. I want to make a promise each month and at the end of the month I would report a daily curve of the number of my shiftinesses.
The promise of this month is: “I will treat everybody with the highest degree of respect, no matter how I feel about them“.
Wish me luck.
Well, that sounds great. I am just wondering how we are going to have pizza online. Maybe you eat it and we watch through a webcam?
Dear Kamangir,
The system works for those who are part of it, in this case for those who make a promise. I would be more than happy if you join me:)
By the way, you are the boss here and you should treat us pizza.
As far as I know you already do that promise
I just have some concerns about the promise itself:)
What is “highest degree of respect”??
I thing we owe to “ourselves” to be polite to everyone regardless. But the respect, they have to earn it. There is a difference.
btw,
I like to new look…it is feminine with those pretty red flowers.
I like the new look too!
I remember that game and it is a pretty effective approach not only because it makes you competitive but also because you are loosing money. In your case loosing money was not really a loss since you had fun with it but I remember I used to put it aside for poor (not a bad loss though).
Hey… Wish you luck
It seems that I have to have some promises to myself too! 
I agree with Frieda. I would also add that if you don’t respect others as human beings– not what they believe in–you’re not respecting your own humanity within.
Azadeh jan: I received this from a friend of mine a long time ago and it helped me in my personal growth…I’m just sharing it with you. I hope you enjoy it.
I recall the Four-fold noble truths of Buddhism — the world is full of suffering. “Birth is suffering, death is suffering, old age is suffering. To meet a man one hates is suffering. To be separated from someone one loves is suffering. You get the point. Hardship is a universal truth.”
If life indeed is a series of hardships, how can we deal with this situation? Are there philosophies of life offering? Is suffering universal or it only relates to certain people of our global village? Do some segment of the society suffers more than the rest? How could this be so true? How can we the humans work together in eradication of all sufferings? How can we all share this urgency of brotherhood and expand it to all? I believe every life is significant. I believe every situation is a golden opportunity which one humble person can make in the world–just by doing right and touching the lives of others. The reward is just magnificent.
Life can be wonderful and can be not so wonderful sometimes. Yet it seems that at the root of all these philosophies, religions, and other schemes lie eternal truths that actually may work. The truth that we, all the inhabitance of this earth, need each other now more than ever before. We need one another, no matter what soil we are living on.
No matter what nation has harbored us. We simply need each other.
The experience in life has shown that things were bound to get better at some point in the future. The opposite is true as well. Life flows and changes and nothing stays the same. So why do we expect too much or do we expect so little? If these people can face the tremendous blows dealt to them and turn their lives around to create happy, satisfied, and successful lives, the least I can do is attempt to do work on my little problems.
I have also learned that everything happens for a reason and that you only have to pay attention to what comes to you. You will find what you need and what you need will find you. Being open and accepting of this Synchronicity in our lives leads to serendipity–the finding of valuable or agreeable things not sought for. Prehaps the words I am looking for are optimism and love.
In perusing our happiness, I think we should peruse a spiritual rather than religious understanding of divinity. I think the most significant element is that a single human life does have meaning, and can make a positive difference in the world. We must peruse life and happiness and extend it to all those who come around us.
This little village of ours is becoming even smaller each day. We must learn to coexist, regardless of where we live and our differences. We must learn, teach, and share. We need to go beyond the business of religion and being spiritual being. We are in need of reaching out into territories unknown, to enrich our thoughts. We need love and lots of it:
Let Thy beauty to unfold Let Thy life melt in the ocean of love Let Thy heart be open in kisses rain
Let us fathom to the state of being alive, Let us see how fountains the tears of the motherland, spray the dust
O, lift me from ecstasy of life, I cry, I dance, I laugh I swim, I walk, I die let true-self to ignite us within, where it break at last
To life and humanity, A Friend
And a few favorite “axiom” of mine:
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”–Mahatma Gandhi
“The one who pursues revenge should dig two graves.”–A chinese proverb
Gandhi reminds us the means are the ends in the processes of becoming. You do not achieve goodness by evil means.
“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
ِDear Frieda,
I do agree with you that respect is something to be earned not to be granted. But my problem is I think there are some times I start to criticize my friends (very internally) too much and their negative points (from my perspective) cover their merits in my mind. I am trying to put a double standard on myself and try to treat my friends more fairly.
Dear Mahi, Frieda, Angel, Lafcadio
Thanks for the support.
“criticize my friends (very internally) too much”
The internal noise you have is because of your own judgment of yourself. You are probably are hard on your own self, if you accept yourself the way you are, you would not judge anyone anymore.
Just be peace within your own mind and the rest will fall in its place.
I think I have some post regarding this same issue, if I find it I will send it to you.
Dear Frieda,
I love your points of view. Thanks for sharing them with me.
I have recently started a”Women of Iran Arise” project - without asking them to come out into the streets and get uselesslu hurt.
You can see some of this on my site and also listen to it/me in Farsi on the Zoroastrian Internet TV - http://www.ahura.info and click on the tv icon. I go on (audio only) usually at 3pm Eastern (EST) USA time on Sundays.
The program is still rudimentary and my hour or two or three (sometimes) revolves around articles posted in my site in English and some Farsi translations, too. But the broadcasts may be broadcast more widely soon. Plans underway.
One of my friends inthe past was also called Azadeh, nickname ‘Dodie’ and I have been trying to find her - in Europe.
Have a great weekend and you have my Email if you have any questions.