At seven on the evening of the first Thursday in March, 2004, we gathered again in the Memorial Plaza.
Eric Bagai welcomed the group, asking that they think of this gathering as a time and place not just for grieving, but for renewal of spirit and hope. That this be a time when we gather the courage to go on for another month of active work to end the war. He introduced the evening's speaker, Goudarz Eghtedari, a lecturer at Portland State University, radio host and commentator at KBOO-FM, long-time peace activist and organizer, and Iranian-American.
. . . .Goudarz Eghtedari spoke of the different experiences that Iranians and Americans have of death. He pointed out that in the east people live with their dead for a longer time than we do here, and it is a daily part of life. This begins with the family washing the body of the deceased, a practice almost unthinkable here. After the funeral, they revive and celebrate their memories on the fortieth day, the hundredth day, and on each anniversary, year after year, for each relative and loved one. This is a continuing and eternal farewell.
Death is much more immediate, and at least for his generation, a much more frequent occurrance in Iran than in America. During the revolution and the rise of the Ayatollahs, during the student uprisings and the war with Iraq, every Iranian experienced death -- the deaths of family, friends, and loved ones -- not just once, but time and again.
He spoke of leaving and returning to Iran to find the names of school friends, including the name of his first love, written on the walls of the school, among the names of those who were killed during the revolution or were executed thereafter. He talked about remembering those who were tortured to death for their beliefs and those who were killed during the war that claimed half a million lives of both sides. He said that living with death so close and touchable has taught him the reality of war and how disastrous it can be.
Ron Handlin, a member of the Cascadia Magical Activists, and the compiler of the lists of names for the Mourning Project read the following prayer:
Welcome, to those gathered.
Not to blame, but to honor.
Those who died
In the Darkness of the Night.
We honor your memory.The Fathers, the Mothers, the Sons, the Daughters
The Wives, the Husbands, the Friends, the Lovers.Let us always remember the fruits of War
“A gunfire shatters silencePray with Me as you Pray
Where birds once sweetly sang
A mother cradles a child now dead
Now death where life began.”
Let us allow those who have lost their lives,
to live on in our hearts as our inspiration
to act out of love rather than out of fear.
Let all the dead become our heroes.Pray with me as you Pray
Guardian of all that is Sacred, our world is hurting. People are hurting. War, crime, apathy, and negativity threaten to destroy the wonders of earth and its inhabitants. Reach out from the center of the Universe and motivate the winds of change. Help save us from ourselves.Hope comes from the Creator
Cast your eyes on the oceanStrength comes from the Creator
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember meCome away oh human childMay the blessings of grace, my loves,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand
For the world's more full of weeping
Than you can understand
Shine on everyone
May the love we are sharing tonight
Spread its wings and fly across the sky.From “Pax Femina”
I will love as an act of warToday and always we are all children of one family both Divine yet mortal - the family of man. Let acceptance among people of all faiths be cherished as a great virtue. So be it.
I will not be silent any more.I will love as an act of warBlessings on all present.
I will not be silent any more.
. . .
Next month, on Thursday, April 1st, the speaker will be Thomas Chavez. Please come, and bring a friend.
The ceremony concluded at 7:20 pm, and the park was empty by eight.