Other than that, I know little about her. Her murder was a very public one, witnessed by millions, myself included. The video was hard to watch. Her eyes, as the light left them. The cries of her friends, as they realized the futility of their attempts to save her. She was murdered by a Basij gunman - Iran's version of the Hitler youth. I wonder if he even aimed. Her death was just as random and senseless as any drive-by shooting in America.
So why do I grieve for a stranger on the other side of the world?
I've never been a fan of martyrdom, or death in general.
From the Associated Content:
The concept of martyrdom in a fight for freedom is not unique to Iran. History is replete with stories of such people, such as American's Nathan Hale ("I have but one life to give to my country.") or Ireland's John McBride, of whom Yeats wrote "He, too, has been changed in his turn, Transformed utterly: A terrible beauty is born."
If it is her destiny to become a martyr, so be it. The irony, of course, is that the same concept that started and sustained a regime, may also end it. I only know that a young woman, whose only crime was her opinion, was cut down. A death that does indeed diminish us all.
She should be remembered.
So why do I grieve for a stranger on the other side of the world?
I've never been a fan of martyrdom, or death in general.
From the Associated Content:
The concept of martyrdom in a fight for freedom is not unique to Iran. History is replete with stories of such people, such as American's Nathan Hale ("I have but one life to give to my country.") or Ireland's John McBride, of whom Yeats wrote "He, too, has been changed in his turn, Transformed utterly: A terrible beauty is born."
If it is her destiny to become a martyr, so be it. The irony, of course, is that the same concept that started and sustained a regime, may also end it. I only know that a young woman, whose only crime was her opinion, was cut down. A death that does indeed diminish us all.
She should be remembered.
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