Dear People,
I hope this finds you well. This is in fact my two thousandth post on The Black Iris. It’s hard to believe. I know these sorts of things are considered to be momentous occasions in the blogging universe, and I know on such occasions I’m supposed to say something clever. Perhaps try to find meaning in something as arbitrary as the thoughts that permeate through this screen. Perhaps say something philosophical or poetic. And I will admit that I actually did give this a lot of thought and settled on the following series of words:
On some level, the blogging universe dictates that we acknowledge such milestones; like we do of birthdays, where there’s a cake involved, with candles designed to be extinguished. And here’s what I find interesting. At birthday parties, we surround ourselves with the people we love, be they friends or family; and that in itself is what defines a birthday. Without those people, it’s just a guy, in a room, with a cake and a party hat on. And yet, perhaps ironically, these are occasions socially-constructed to celebrate the ‘self’.
And that’s kind of metaphorical.
Every one of us – whether we are bloggers or just ordinary human beings – is defined by those that surround us. Their perceptions acknowledge our existance, like a planet that’s part of a solar system. Our actions and our words are all self-driven, but exist only because others acknowledge their existance. We are considered ordinary or extraordinary based on those in our orbit. In other words, we are all trees in a forest making a sound, but only because others are around to hear it.
So this two thousandth post is dedicated to the readers of The Black Iris.
It is dedicated to the many people who apparently read this blog for reasons unbeknown to me. People who may be questioning themselves and their life decisions right about now. It is dedicated to those who have discussed, debated, and grappled with the issues I’ve tried my best to bring to light here. It is dedicated to the naysayers. It is dedicated to those who have made this experience worthwhile. It is dedicated to friends and foes who have berated me for something I wrote. It is dedicated to those who have stuck with me through every rant, ramble, raving; every frustration and every thought I’ve ever barely-articulated on this blog. It is dedicated to fellow bloggers in my own particular realm; in my own particular solar system. And it is dedicated to the handful of individuals whom I consider to be visionaries, activists, leaders, and intellectuals who are all a gazillion times smarter than me, whose example I constantly aspire to, and who surprisingly read this blog for reasons still unbeknown to me.
And before the music plays me off the stage, I should say that to those of you who have followed The Black Iris religiously and with demonstrated enthusiasm, I thank you for being a major part of it. As for those of you whom I annoy, I should probably warn you that the next two thousand posts will be just as annoying, and I thank you for being a major part of that as well.
This virtual space has probably become more yours than mine at this point.
I’m just a spectator.
Sincerely,
Naseem Tarawnah
“and I know on such occasions I’m supposed to say something clever. “…..when do you not?
and 2000 more to come inshallah!
One difference between issues blogging and birthdays (since you’re using this metaphor) is that in the latter, one makes a silent personal wish, whereas through blogging, black-iris blogging particularly, wishes are translated into all- inclusive words of action; words that shout loudly for change and mobility on a wider scale that includes(almost, yet not quite since you basically focus on Amman and its dynamics :P) a large portion of the country.
aham shii, awesome job.. rock on!
Alf mabrook! Here’s to a couple thousand more 🙂
Congrats man! 🙂
عقبال ما نشوÙÙƒ رئيس المجلس الاعلى للاعلام
Oh, no…they axed it.
anyways, congrats.
Your silent whispers move to action… Thank you for the last 2000 (or at least as many as I’ve read), here’s wishing you 10,000 more!
Well, 2,000 posts worth reading by a 25 year old. Imagine what you will be producing ten or twenty years from now, by the grace of God.
I’m looking forward to being challenged, tweaked, encouraged, instructed and at times aggravated for as long as I can still read. You have much, much more to say.
Its certainly a milestone worth mentioning. I’ve been reading a few arabic blogs over the past year or so and to be honest this is by far the most consistent blog out there. You are committed to your material and professional in your approach.
Great job!
good stuff man.
2,000 mabrouk! I don’t think I have the attention span to write that many posts. I guess it’s quite a telling sign on how many problems we face in Jordan! (I’m just assuming you write to vent out whatever frustrations may fester inside, actually I think I am projecting here lol).
Tayyeb, what do you think will be the next step?
Nabrook.
Thanks for keeping people from other cultures this informed about Jordanian issues and everyday observations. I feel like I live in the region just by reading the intense details and consistent flow of news/remarks you deliver.
Honestly, best and most unbiased Arab blog I’ve come across.
ur post inspired me to count how many posts and i came up with a whopping sum of 3083 …
of course many of those are just images or just copy/paste so that kind of diminishes the significance of the number .. but i digress ..
mabrook .. so how long have u been blogging?
Seriously nassem, this blog is fantastic. I hope it takes you somewhere.
Great job
Is fantastic ¡¡ Great job ¡¡¡
Chao ¡¡
This post reminds me – relatively – of Obama’s victory speech! 😛
Mabrook Nas. Being able to read your thoughts as a spectator is a privilege 🙂
Keep it up.
Congratulations 🙂
Well done Nas 🙂
2K!! wow!
I truly think that this space is a unique Jordanian forum and not just a blog.
keep up the good work 🙂
Love your blog!
Keep up the good work and congrats! 🙂
I’m glad your blog didn’t self-destruct, Naseem! (2k, millenium bug.. get it?)
Right. Mabrook! And as my 4th grade teacher would say, “ilal amaam!”
Thank you for being there 🙂
Objective and honest, least to be said.
Congratulations! An extraordinary achievement by a very gifted person. Keep up the good work 🙂
Thank you for this place that brings together some of the most interesting and brave souls. Knowing that there are so many colorful and fascinating voices out there is a great reason to contribute and take action towards a better shaping of this future of ours.
Thank you for leading us Naseem!
looking forward to the upcoming 2000 posts Naseem….keep up the great work!
You blog has become such a staple of my daily routine that I thought it was much more than 2000 posts! Mabrook… you really have created a niche in Jordanian culture for those of us who, in the past, had to grapple with homeless thoughts, frustrations and ideas … you are way more than a spectator; without your consistency, honesty, bravery, dedication and spirit, none of this would have been possible. Thank you!
I have only been blogging recently , but the thing is that i have started at your blog… I still miss a verb or two here and there which does not deliver an IDEA sometimes , but what I found beautiful here is that the thought is always taken seriously , I believe that this birthday is for what you have made , immortally ongoing and hopefully as annoying to some as it was before:) actually to other and others
Congrats Nas, I love reading ur blog 🙂 thank YOU for every post, every word, every effort.
here’s to 2000 more!
Congratulations!
Thank you Naseem for all your highly appreciated efforts, and thanks to every individual in “The Black Iris” family for making it the way it is, congratulations to all of you, keep it up Nas 🙂
Thanks everyone for all your kind comments! 🙂
Truly one of the best written blogs that I’ve discovered in a long time. As a new reader, I really am looking forward to the next 2000 and in the meantime can happily peruse the first 2000 in order to catch up.
Congrats! (sounds very plain after 32 other congrats, but…)
Thanks for writing so much that is worth reading.
Dear Naseem:
I would like to introduce myself. I am Randa kaddoura the mother of late hikmat kaddoura who passed away on january 2008 in a trajec hit and run accident. Unfortunately only today did i read what you have written on january..I would like to have the opporunity to share my point of view with your readers especially those who dont have the clear vision of what we did and what we are doing..naseem the loss of my family and people like us from whatever part of jordan is beyond explaining or comprehending.your world turns upside down..nothing is the same ..you live the pain and the loss till the end of your life..my dear..livesof people are all precious ..social status does not make your life more precious than others..infront of holy god we are all Equal no matter what..Hikmats death was on national basis because of our determination..because we have beliefs and morals..because we want to make a good change in our society and spare others from the pain we are suffering..my dear our loss is so great..but our gain is those lives that we are saving..many people from west amman have lost the lives of their beloved but couldnt do anything about it coz their pain prevented them..which i also respect..but as for my family we decided that we have to do something about it ..we have to transform this pain into a positive thing that benefits the whole hashemite kingdom with no social preferences..We have already finished the upgrading of the safety of 100 schools through all the kingdom from north to south..we have made bridges..streets..ramps and much more..tomorrow their will be the launch of hay alzohoor where our hikmat organization has participated a great deal in upgrading this neighbourhood..pls naseem try to be fair with what have been done by publishing another article to show those who were outrageous about the publicity of hikmats death that our intention was good from day one..that we did all this coz we want to change the wrong..and make our society a good place to live in..we believe that any person can make a chane if HE wants to..nothing is impossible in this world..and if obama won the presidency then it is a great proof to the world that we can make dreams come true..god bless you and thank you and your readers who felt our pain and great loss..I HOPE NO ONE WOULD EXPERIENCE THE PAIN AND SORROW WE ARE PASSING THROUGH..may god protect and save all of our beloved Jordanians from all different classes ..at the end we are all one big family no matter where we are from and we should work hand in hand to make our country a better place to live in….bess u all
Naseem..one more thing ..to those who said we know half of the cabinet i tell him we have been living in amman the last four years..we know nobody in the political arena..but we made it a point that they know us now and hear us not because who we are ..but because of what we are doing…it is your deeds ,not your status my friends ,that let people hear you..
I am late, as usual. Mabrook..
Now here is an interesting pattern: I stay away from the Jordan blogosphere for a month or so, only to be drawn in by something you wrote.
Your blog definitely gives me hope, on a number of levels, that there might be a good way forward for our community and this country.
Keep up the good work.
monique, umm farouq and ahmad: thank you for your kind words, they are much appreciated! 🙂
Dear Randa Kaddoura:
Thank you for your message and for relaying your point of view. I think many people misunderstood my initial post (if I remember it correctly). The assumption was that I was saying what your good self did was wrong, but in actuality, what I had trouble with was NOT with what you and your good family did, as that was a natural reaction and I’m sure I would have done the same.
My problem was with how people reacted; society itself. While the reactions of a family in mourning, even a well-to-do family, is expected, it was how people reacted that caught my attention. The same realities that were around last year are unfortunately still around this year. We, as a society, still value some life as being more important than others, and therefore, some causes as being more worthy than others. And social change, in the positive sense can never happen the way we want it to happen if this is the case.
What you and your family have done for the country in this short time span, all stemming from the death of a son (God rest his soul), has been undeniably remarkable and positive. I’ve seen it myself firsthand. Which again, takes me back to my initial point: it’s not about what you or your family did, it’s not about how you reacted, but about how everyone else reacted.
If you wish to reach me, please feel free to contact me by email: tarawnah@gmail.com
Thank you
Please do not stop! Unless you are going to do something bigger and better through other channels of media!
Congrats! The post was too long to read at 7 a.m. when I have a bus to catch… however, I am sure something clever was on.
Mabrook again 🙂
ive grown up with hikmat in riyadh, saudi arabia. went to school together in king saud international school. He was my class mate, not only that he was my best friend. i remember days were i couldnt stand not hanging out with him. his friendship made my life priceless. we were a pair . i remember on my birthday he came to school late and he had a bag with him. and i had totally forgot it was my birthday. and he gave it to me, i thought maybe it was something i forgot at his house the day before. but it turned out to be my birthday gift. I cant describe the way i feel as i write this. Its unbelievable what hikmat means to me. we met in school through a football conversation, and from day one i was inlove with him. and i could see the purity in his soul through his eyes. from his daily visits to me, even on school days shows the love we had for each other. I also remember the loving parents he has, who welcomed all his friends with open arms. and i would like to thank them for an angel, my brother, our gaurdian. The news of hikmats passing away tore my heart appart. it made me a different person.
but thanks to the great work of hikmats parents, they have created a new oportunity for people.
everyday we will pray for hikmat. allah yirhamak , ina lilah wina ilayhi raj3on.
thank you