Musings of a former chicken

It would not be stretching it to say even the incurable optimists who always see the glass half full are grumbling about the grim situation of Iran and Iranians under the yoke of the IRR, the Islamist Rapist Republic.

For the sake of simplicity lets imagine the following:

You live in one of those old time houses with several inner courtyards around each of which sits living quarters where your extended family lives. Granted those houses/compounds are long gone and in their place sits concrete and glass high-rises with as much personality and charm as Khomeini’s mausoleum.   But assume your imaginary house does exist and is unfortunately engulfed in a fierce fire deliberately set by the neighborhood arsonist who along with his little helpers matches and incendiary in hand are shouting aloud that all is well and the neighborhood is well on its way to the promised glorious revitalization.  

Few of your relatives have been fortunate and fit enough to scale the walls and escape with their lives but the overwhelming majority are caught inside, their screams are clearly audible. Now here are some choices:

1- You deny there is any fire and blame it on the rumor mongering no good Zinat who has always had it in for you and all others for that matter.

2- You reminisce about all international historical fires and their amoral insane arsonists.

3- You stand on the curb and start praying like there is no tomorrow for the fire to all of a sudden extinguish itself.

4- You get busy helping the arsonists to spread and fan the flame so the realization of the promised glory is hastened.

5- You start cursing and blaming the long gone former neighborhood bully and his benefactor(s).

6- You get your mind busy with fires in distant places with the reasoning that the flying embers from them are the cause of your fire and it is best to put them out first then your own house fire.

7- You start arguing with your escaped relatives on the merits of self-reliance and lecturing them on why in the long run asking for help has a negative effect.

8- You ….

In the meantime your house which after all can be rebuilt including all your irreplaceable extended family are being consumed by the deliberately set raging fire.