Listening

I had not really been following the news in Iran. I was informed enough to know there are major protests going on there because of an election. Yet the details escaped me.

A few nights ago I was sitting in my building dining room having Italian Risotto (made by an Italian) with some friends. A Iranian young woman who lives in my foyer was asked about her family. She shared with us that her family is safe in Tehran, however the people that are protesting are not. The police are attacking anyone that is on the streets. Interestingly, the opposition leaders that "lost" the election a few days ago urged people not to come out and protest for their own safety. She shared that the police had invaded a student dormitory in the middle of the night to beat people. She had seen videos on YouTube. She had heard about it through Facebook - even though the Iranian government is working hard to suppress access to the internet.

I listened to her tell this story of what her friends were doing. I listened to her tell about the activities going on there. I listened as she told that she would not go home as planned because of safety. I listened to her story.

Often in my work at the International level I do not have "time" to listen to people. I have to write a proposal and find statistics and tell everyone how great my program is. I wish I had more opportunities to listen to people tell their own stories and the stories of their families and friends. I cannot have the experience of being an Iranian woman living through this time, but I can attempt to understand what that feels like by listening. Simply listening.