Mola

Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault discuss the nature of power,...

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 23:32:43 -0500

Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault discuss the nature of power, among other things.

Photo from 2004 Archive: Aquarium.

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:06:21 -0500

Photo from 2004 Archive: Aquarium.

Birthday in Harare

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:39:22 -0500

Birthday in Harare

Panel of Participants: Looking Forward - How Can we Change the World?

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:57:00 -0400

The 2011 Bologna, Italy Symposium On Conflict Prevention, Resolution and Reconciliation

I originally wanted to propose a five minutes silence but unfortunately the idea was vetoed. Therefore you’d have to bear with me for the next five minutes or so.

The question that has been put before us is , now that we have finished this symposium, how are we going to utilize this knowledge and change the world.

My answer is short and simple: I will not change the world. Now we can have 4 minutes of silence.

Must we be utterly preoccupied by this notion of changing the world around us?

If we pause for a moment and ponder and look at the history, and more specifically the contemporary history we realize that the modern human being has been changing the world on a constant basis. Non stop.

But have not we changed the world enough already? We wage wars in the name of change for a better future, we impose premature peace processes in the name of change, We’ve lost touch with the nature and the environment, We are constantly changing the face of our planet to the point that soon it will be completely exhausted of it’s resources. Genocides, mass atrocities, revolutions have been committed in order to change the world. And yet this constant appetite for change is never satisfied. We must ask ourselves, what have achieved ? Is changing the world the solution ?

Given all the technological advances we have made people have grown accustomed to thinking that the development is happening at maximum capacity. That the world is improving at the fastest rate possible. That people’s lives are getting better and we’re fighting against disease and famine and inequality as hard as we can. This simply isn’t true. We’re barely making any differences and we are far from working towards maximum capacity. We need to lift that veil of ignorance and see the truth, that things aren’t OK.

We are so fond of this idea of changing the world that I fear, we forget the fact that we are part of a historical narrative. And history does indeed repeat itself if we don’t learn its lessons Change is not a reset button that we can press and start from point zero all over again. Time is a crucial factor that usually is sidelined in favor of immediate changes. However, one must keep in mind that change is not a project but a very , and I emphasize on very, long process. And there are no shortcuts.

Change comes from within. What we need today is not to change the world but to accept it the way it is with all it’s shortcomings and try to focus on truly improving the essence and quality of human relationships and think about what kind of legacy we are passing to the next generation because after all if we truly care about making a difference we must look beyond our own lifetime. Change is not about us. It’s about them.

Mola Shahsavari

July 2011, Bologna

Going up 453 steps of Bologna’s highest tower (by...

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:51:21 -0400

Going up 453 steps of Bologna’s highest tower (by Mola’s Photostream)

Photo

Wed, 11 May 2011 18:14:17 -0400

خوشا آنان که الله يارشان بيکه حمد و قل هو الله کارشان بيخوشا...

Tue, 10 May 2011 23:00:49 -0400

خوشا آنان که الله يارشان بي
که حمد و قل هو الله کارشان بي
خوشا آنان که دايم در نمازند
بهشت جاودان بازارشان بي
الهي
الهي
الهي
بيا جانا که جانانم تويي تو
بيا جانا که سلطانم تويي تو
تو خود دوني که غير از تو نخواهم
بيا جانا که ايمانم تويي تو

در کجای فصل؟

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:50:00 -0400

در کجای فصل؟

با صنوبری که روی قله
ایستاده بود
گونه روی گونه ی سپیده دم نهاده بود
موج گیسوان به دوش بادها گشاده بود
از نشیب یخ گرفت دره گفتم
این نه ساخت شکفتگی ست
در کجای فصل ایستاده ای
مگر ندیده ای
سبزه ها کبود و بیشه سوگوار
فصل فصل خامش نهفتگی ست
آن صنوبر بلند
با اشاره ای نه سوی دوردست
گفت
قد کوته تو راه را به دیده ی تو بست
گامی از درون سرد خود برآی
پای بر گریوه ای گذار
و درنگر
رود آفتاب و آب در شتاب
کاروان درد و سرد
در گزیر و ناگزیر
آنک آن هجوم سبز مرز ناپذیر
در کجای فصل ایستاده ام ؟
در کرانه ای
که پیش چشم من
بهار شعله های سبز و
سیره و سرود
در نگاه تو کبود و دود

#Zim Dollar (no longer in circulation)

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:24:18 -0500

#Zim Dollar (no longer in circulation)

Where God Goes For Salt

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:43:00 -0500

Where God Goes For Salt

Henry Kissinger to Soviet Jewry: Drop Dead - Jeffrey Goldberg - National - The Atlantic

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:24:52 -0500

Henry Kissinger to Soviet Jewry: Drop Dead - Jeffrey Goldberg - National - The Atlantic:

“The emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union is not an objective of American foreign policy,” Mr. Kissinger said. “And if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern.”

“I know,” Nixon responded. “We can’t blow up the world because of it.”

The world according to Facebook friendships

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:47:53 -0500

The world according to Facebook friendships

Photo

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:20:00 -0500

Audio

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:17:39 -0500

TEDxVancouver-200 (by Mola)

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:03:25 -0500

TEDxVancouver-200 (by Mola)

Schubert and a glass of cabernet sauvignon

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:48:31 -0500

Schubert and a glass of cabernet sauvignon

On the way back

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:36:54 -0500

On the way back

Finally

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:47:29 -0500

Finally

AFRICA MON AMOUR

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:44:09 -0500

A guide to the rest of Africa

The Future of the Book. (by IDEO) via @atomicpoet

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:41:19 -0500