Hello friends,
🔵 Forty years ago, in our second-grade Persian textbook, we read:
Two ducks and a turtle had been living for a long time in a pond and had become friends. Suddenly, the water in the pond began to decrease significantly, and the ducks were no longer able to stay. They decided to move to another pond. They went to the turtle to say goodbye. The turtle was saddened and said, “I am both suffering from the lack of water and distressed by the thought of being separated from you. You are my friends; please think of something and take me with you.”
The ducks replied, “We will miss you too. Wherever we go, it won’t be enjoyable without you, but taking you would be very difficult because we can fly, and you can’t.” The turtle became very sad. After some thought, the ducks said, “We will take you with us, on the condition that you promise to accept whatever we say.” The turtle agreed. The ducks brought a stick and said to him, “We will hold the ends of the stick with our beaks, and you must hold the middle with your mouth. This way, the three of us will fly, but you must be careful never to open your mouth while flying.” The turtle said, “I will do whatever you say.”
The ducks took flight, taking the turtle with them. When they flew over the city, people’s eyes caught sight of them. They pointed and said, “Look at the turtle, who desires to fly.” The turtle remained silent for a while but couldn’t hold his tongue, saying, “May blindness fall upon those who cannot see,” and as he opened his mouth to speak, he fell from the sky and died.
🔵 These days, in every corner, whether in virtual space or in real life, there is talk of Ayatollah Montazeri’s audio file and the executions of the year 67 [1988]. It is not advisable for any official to open their mouth in defense of this horrific tragedy.
If you do not heed advice and speak out, like the turtle that fell and crashed before the people’s eyes, you too will fall from the people’s favor and crash or increase their hatred towards you. So, be a little patient and remain silent, allowing the wisdom and prudence of others to guide you through this peril. Otherwise, if even for a moment you attempt to respond to the people’s taunts, you will meet the fate of individuals like Pourmohammadi.
I am aware of the Leader’s prudence in keeping silent and not defending the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the year 67 [1988].
Therefore, unless your own hands, or those of your father or grandfather, are stained with the blood of innocents, do not hastily and unwisely cast yourself down from the heights of humanity by speaking out of turn.
Mohammad Mahdavifar
Friday, 12th of Shahrivar, 1395 [September 2, 2016]