Modern Iranian History: A Tumultuous Journey
In the 1940s, Britain was involved in extracting Iran's oil resources. However, Iran was only allowed to receive 16% of its own oil wealth, with the majority being exploited by Britain. The country's oil resources, heavily controlled and plundered by Britain, prompted a change in 1951. Mohammad Mosaddegh, the then Prime Minister of Iran, nationalized the oil sector to ensure its benefits for Iranians and the impoverished population. He expelled the British, who reacted strongly, stating, "I built the refineries, taught them how to extract oil, and now I'm expelled?"
Britain retaliated against the Prime Minister, initially attempting a diplomatic solution, but Mosaddegh refused. Consequently, Britain colluded with the United States to orchestrate a coup against him, leading to his imprisonment. Following this, Britain and the U.S. installed a king who would be amenable to their interests and grant them permission to exploit Iran's oil resources. This king was Mohammad Reza Shah.
As an ally of American and European governments, the Shah initiated unprecedented radical changes in Iran. The country developed, infrastructure expanded, and oil revenues began generating billions of dollars (though the Shah reportedly embezzled much of it). Regardless, these changes transformed Iran into a Westernized nation. Education flourished, women gained the right to vote, and many restrictions were lifted. Iran became like another "America" in the Middle East.
In the 1940s, Britain was involved in extracting Iran's oil resources. However, Iran was only allowed to receive 16% of its own oil wealth, with the majority being exploited by Britain. The country's oil resources, heavily controlled and plundered by Britain, prompted a change in 1951. Mohammad Mosaddegh, the then Prime Minister of Iran, nationalized the oil sector to ensure its benefits for Iranians and the impoverished population. He expelled the British, who reacted strongly, stating, "I built the refineries, taught them how to extract oil, and now I'm expelled?"
Britain retaliated against the Prime Minister, initially attempting a diplomatic solution, but Mosaddegh refused. Consequently, Britain colluded with the United States to orchestrate a coup against him, leading to his imprisonment. Following this, Britain and the U.S. installed a king who would be amenable to their interests and grant them permission to exploit Iran's oil resources. This king was Mohammad Reza Shah.
As an ally of American and European governments, the Shah initiated unprecedented radical changes in Iran. The country developed, infrastructure expanded, and oil revenues began generating billions of dollars (though the Shah reportedly embezzled much of it). Regardless, these changes transformed Iran into a Westernized nation. Education flourished, women gained the right to vote, and many restrictions were lifted. Iran became like another "America" in the Middle East.
❤1
American culture, language, and way of life began to permeate Iranian society. Many viewed this transformation as a process of "Americanization," which angered many Iranians, especially the country's Islamic leaders.
They rebelled, claiming, "The King has sold out his country, he is an American puppet, he is corrupt! He has opened the door for the destruction of Iranian history and culture and the spread of Americanism! Furthermore, he has allowed the country's oil wealth to be plundered, further impoverishing the people!"
They rebelled, claiming, "The King has sold out his country, he is an American puppet, he is corrupt! He has opened the door for the destruction of Iranian history and culture and the spread of Americanism! Furthermore, he has allowed the country's oil wealth to be plundered, further impoverishing the people!"
In 1979, the Shah fled to the United States, where he was granted asylum by then-President Jimmy Carter. Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who had been leading the popular uprising, returned to Iran from France. In the same year, 1979, Iran became the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Enraged by the King's escape to America and the U.S. government's granted him an asylum, young Iranians stormed the American Embassy in Tehran, the capital, and took 52 Americans hostage. Television screens showed the young people blindfolding and mistreating the American hostages, leading to a complete breakdown of relations between the U.S. and Iran.
Enraged by the King's escape to America and the U.S. government's granted him an asylum, young Iranians stormed the American Embassy in Tehran, the capital, and took 52 Americans hostage. Television screens showed the young people blindfolding and mistreating the American hostages, leading to a complete breakdown of relations between the U.S. and Iran.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the religious leader became the Supreme Leader of Iran. Currently, the Supreme Leader of Iran is Ali Hosseini Khamenei. His decisions are final, and the country's president does not wield as much power as he does.
The United States describes him in strong terms: "...he has money, he has bullets, he has intelligence, the keys to the country's prisons are in his hand, the media is under his control! The legislature, judiciary, and police are under him! He has built his own economic empire! Even the commander of the country's army is him! Iranians are suppressed! The man dislikes the Western world! He views America as a monster! He supports terrorists! He arms Hezbollah and Hamas! He enriches nuclear material! He is a threat to the world!"
The United States describes him in strong terms: "...he has money, he has bullets, he has intelligence, the keys to the country's prisons are in his hand, the media is under his control! The legislature, judiciary, and police are under him! He has built his own economic empire! Even the commander of the country's army is him! Iranians are suppressed! The man dislikes the Western world! He views America as a monster! He supports terrorists! He arms Hezbollah and Hamas! He enriches nuclear material! He is a threat to the world!"
The U.S. began imposing sanctions on Iran 42 years ago, after the embassy hostage crisis. The sanctions imposed on Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, and Libya combined do not equal the severity of those placed on Iran. The U.S. has prohibited any commercial relations with Iran, prevented anyone from buying its oil, blocked any transactions with Iranian banks and financial institutions, and barred Iranian officials from entering the United States. Even Iranian carpets are not allowed into the U.S.!
The List
If I gave you a list of everything you needed to do, to have everything you ever wanted.
Would you do it?
If the list was 1,000 tasks long.
How long do you really think it would take you?
Do you think you’d ever wake up demotivated?
If I made it so every task could be completed by you in a day,
Would you do one a day?
Would you do more?
Would you ever miss a day?
When you look at people and ever wonder why they never give up,
Why they always have the energy to work,
Why they’re so productive and successful.
It’s because they have a list.
A list they can wake up and look at.
A list of tasks they KNOW they can do, and if they do it, they get what they want in life.
When it’s on a list,
Even if it’s 1,000 tasks long,
Success is not only inevitable, it’s easy.
If I gave you a list of everything you needed to do, to have everything you ever wanted.
Would you do it?
If the list was 1,000 tasks long.
How long do you really think it would take you?
Do you think you’d ever wake up demotivated?
If I made it so every task could be completed by you in a day,
Would you do one a day?
Would you do more?
Would you ever miss a day?
When you look at people and ever wonder why they never give up,
Why they always have the energy to work,
Why they’re so productive and successful.
It’s because they have a list.
A list they can wake up and look at.
A list of tasks they KNOW they can do, and if they do it, they get what they want in life.
When it’s on a list,
Even if it’s 1,000 tasks long,
Success is not only inevitable, it’s easy.
Choice
“You are not your body and hair-style, but your capacity for choosing well. If your choices are
beautiful, so too will you be.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.1.39b–40
at’s that line in the movie Fight Club: “You are not your job, you’re not how much money you have in
the bank. You are not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet.” Obviously our friend
Epictetus never saw that movie or read the book—but apparently the consumerism of the 1990s existed in
ancient Rome too.
It’s easy to confuse the image we present to the world for who we actually are, especially when media
messaging deliberately blurs that distinction.
You might look beautiful today, but if that was the result of vain obsession in the mirror this morning,
the Stoics would ask, are you actually beautiful? A body built from hard work is admirable. A body built
to impress gym rats is not.
That’s what the Stoics urge us to consider. Not how things appear, but what effort, activity, and
choices they are a result of.
“You are not your body and hair-style, but your capacity for choosing well. If your choices are
beautiful, so too will you be.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.1.39b–40
at’s that line in the movie Fight Club: “You are not your job, you’re not how much money you have in
the bank. You are not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet.” Obviously our friend
Epictetus never saw that movie or read the book—but apparently the consumerism of the 1990s existed in
ancient Rome too.
It’s easy to confuse the image we present to the world for who we actually are, especially when media
messaging deliberately blurs that distinction.
You might look beautiful today, but if that was the result of vain obsession in the mirror this morning,
the Stoics would ask, are you actually beautiful? A body built from hard work is admirable. A body built
to impress gym rats is not.
That’s what the Stoics urge us to consider. Not how things appear, but what effort, activity, and
choices they are a result of.
👍1
🔍 What Does Geometry Really Mean in Real Life?
A Simple Look at Einstein’s First Chapter on Relativity
Most of us remember learning geometry in school—points, lines, shapes, and the idea that “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” We accepted these ideas as absolute truths.
But Einstein asks:
Are these rules really true in the real world? Or are they just ideas that work well on paper?
A Simple Look at Einstein’s First Chapter on Relativity
Most of us remember learning geometry in school—points, lines, shapes, and the idea that “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” We accepted these ideas as absolute truths.
But Einstein asks:
Are these rules really true in the real world? Or are they just ideas that work well on paper?
👍1
📐 Where Geometry Comes From
Geometry is built from basic concepts like points and lines. It uses a few starting assumptions (called axioms) and builds logical rules from there. If the axioms are true, then everything else is supposed to follow.
But here's Einstein's key point:
Just because something makes sense logically doesn't mean it's true in nature.
---
🧭 What Happens in the Real World?
In geometry class, a straight line is perfectly straight.
In real life? Not so much.
When we try to measure things using real tools—like rulers and clocks—our results aren’t always perfect. Physical objects can bend, expand, or change based on conditions like temperature or gravity.
So Einstein says:
Geometry isn’t about shapes on a page—it becomes physics when we try to apply it to the real world.
Geometry is built from basic concepts like points and lines. It uses a few starting assumptions (called axioms) and builds logical rules from there. If the axioms are true, then everything else is supposed to follow.
But here's Einstein's key point:
Just because something makes sense logically doesn't mean it's true in nature.
---
🧭 What Happens in the Real World?
In geometry class, a straight line is perfectly straight.
In real life? Not so much.
When we try to measure things using real tools—like rulers and clocks—our results aren’t always perfect. Physical objects can bend, expand, or change based on conditions like temperature or gravity.
So Einstein says:
Geometry isn’t about shapes on a page—it becomes physics when we try to apply it to the real world.
Trump said he wanted to end the "war".
Between Israel and Iran
Between Israel and Iran
Once upon a time, before ever this world was made,
there was neither earth nor sea, nor air, nor light,
but only a great yawning gulf, full of twilight,
where these things should be.
—Norse creation myth
there was neither earth nor sea, nor air, nor light,
but only a great yawning gulf, full of twilight,
where these things should be.
—Norse creation myth