I learned something new yesterday. According to BughouseWW over on DailyKos, October 9 was Children's Day in Iran and in many other countries around the world. I learned this through a comment left in the Suffer the little children... crosspost I had placed over there:

Children's Day in Iran

While American Republicans were kicking children to the side of the road, Iran celebrated Children's Day yesterday.

Here's a link to- and clip of- what Azedeh Pourzand had to say about the stresses children face today:

http://www.iranian.com/...

CONCERN
The burden on children
Only if the busy adults of this world would pause for a second to listen to childrenís stories by Azadeh Pourzand
09-Oct-2007 (3 comments)

I really wish that all the children of Iran and the rest of the world could at least celebrate a day of pure happiness. It would have been so joyful to see that for once, even if it lasts only for one day, all the children of the world were to live beyond the disputes caused by adults, who are making this world an intolerable world for human beings. Till when do the children of the world have to pay for the hatred that has conquered many of adultsí minds, hearts and bodies? Till when do children have to pay for countriesí poor economic situations? Till when do they have to die with HIV and other diseases? Till when do they have to face bloodshed and brutality of this world before even they get to experience a handful of some of the smallest joys of this life?>>>

At this blog, see what Gertrude Stein wrote about the impact of war on children.

http://gertrudesteinonwar.blogspot.com/

When a coward sees a man he thinks he can beat he becomes hungry for a fight. -Chinhua Achebe, Things Fall Apart.

by BughouseWW on Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 07:04:22 PM EDT

Indeed, what is it about our life that causes us to inflict upon our progeny the very curses we bring upon ourselves through our actions? Are we that hard-wired toward idiocy and violence that we cannot shake off, even for a day, the impact we are having on our children...our future? Are we that dead-set (and perhaps that's a perfect compound word description of it!) on infecting our youth with the imprint of violence, hatred and prejudice that we cannot stop even for a single day just to honor the very children that we seek to initiate into this world we've built? Are we trying to build a better future for our world, or glorify a darker past in order to justify our inability to live up to our own stated ideals?

In the comment left by BughouseWW, there's a link to a blog called Gertrude Stein on War. From this entry, there's a thought-provoking bit (among many others) that speaks to this:

"Of course there are a good many times when there is no war just as there are a good many times when there is a war. To be sure when there is a war the years are longer that is to say the days are longer the months are longer the years are much longer but the weeks are shorter that is what makes a war. And when there is no war, well just now I cannot remember just how it is when there is no war."

I've heard such sentiments dismissed with haughty airs by people who say "Well, that's just how things are in the Middle East."

That's compassion for you, eh?

From the same entry, immediately following, there's also this (emphasis mine):

How many Iraqi children do you suppose have memories of a time when there was no war? How many Iranian children do you suppose have memories of a time when there was no war?

In 2030, when George Bush believes his legacy will be vindicated, how many Iraqi children will have memories of a time when there was no war?

Is it a good idea or a bad idea to surround the children of Iran with images and memories of a United States that makes war or of a United States that makes friends and beautiful paintings and poetry?

In short, what are we trying to be? What are we hoping to create? What kind of world are we hoping to have, to hold, to build and to leave as a legacy?

I know that I want to build a legacy for the United States that advocates freedom and justice for all. I want to engender a belief in our nation that we can and will build strength of character, a sense of honor and a healthy respect for life and living with degree of integrity that shows a capacity for adult levels of responsibility, accountability and intellectual discourse.

I want a future where we are not limited by our pride or prejudice, but instead are challenged to achieve more, together, and overcome the adversity of differing ideologies and cultures. I want a future where children can play together, where they can listen to and learn from children and adults of other cultures and where education is encouraged for all -- a real education, not colored by prideful or partisan or fundamentalist beliefs.

I want a future where the children can see adults living responsibly, working out differences amicably, and thinking both globally and locally about the impact of their actions upon the world before acting out of haste or spite or greed.

We, ourselves -- the "adults" now running the world or acting as passengers in it while other so-called "adults" dictate the course of major events -- we are the ones who are, in essence, still children. We are a young race of sentient beings, and yet in our youth of sociocultural and evolutionary being we have the capacity to shape the future through our offspring. Can we do it?

I don't believe it's a question of "should" we, but can we? Can we pry the fingers of the obstinate elite and privileged off the merry-go-round bars and reshape our society so that the "adult" adults can take a turn and try for the big brass ring?

I'd like to think so. Doing so would allow us to begin the process of recognizing the rights of others to also share and participate in life, reducing tensions between genders, between sexual perceptions, between religious and cultural differences. I believe we can shape our own destiny and steer course toward a better, brighter future.

Much of that begins with the children. Setting an example that is at least adequate, if not at least far better than the one we are now presenting, is a start. And celebrating the reality that some day the children of today's world will be the leaders of tomorrow's world -- such that it may be by the time we are finished with it -- is a good and great start.

The original piece excerpted by BughouseWW ends with a sentiment well worth repeating:

Although I think the indescribable condition of many children in this world remains the human race's shame, let us not get too disheartened by these realities. Let us remain optimistic and promise ourselves to try and make a difference, however small, in at least one child's life during our lifetime. Let us not forget the children of this hectic planet. We are all responsible for these children! Happy Children's Day!

Yes, albeit belated: Happy Children's Day, and many, many more.