Gulris Lucena (4:08)

It is not an unusual site in Iran, a large conference attended only by men. After all, women are to be hidden from public view, kept uneducated, silent, powerless. It is within these strict confines that a young woman, eyes bright with possibility for a more just and equitable world, bravely steps into this gathering of men. With her veil removed, her face is uncovered, an act considered blasphemy. Infamous. Just the presence of this woman alone sends shockwaves through the crowd. She declares that the time has come to break away from antiquated traditions and step into a new era of human consciousness in which every person is free to choose their own path. Soon after, she is imprisoned, charged with spreading corruption on earth and sentenced to death. This woman was Tahereh, a poet, a mystic, a champion for human rights. Now, this story may sound like a recent headline from Iran, but it actually took place nearly 200 years ago in 1848. When I look at my birthplace of Iran today, I have to ask, what's changed? Have we made any progress? I see Tahira's fate being replayed in the lives of other courageous women who at this very moment are choosing non violent means such as speaking out and removing their hijabs to proclaim their freedoms. And tragically, just like Tahereh their lives and the rights they are defending are being stamped out and suffocated. It's easy to feel hopeless. It's easy to feel defeated. Yet within their stories, and within hers, I do see progress. I see powerful lessons about what it means to believe so deeply in the transformation of society that we dedicate our lives to laying down the building blocks of a better world. A world we may not even live to see. Tahira's life is an example of being undeterred by our limitations and our constraints. In an arranged marriage. Since the age of 14 and with three children, Tahereh still used whatever tools she had within her means, her words, her actions, her poetry, to encourage all of those around her to abandon the suffocating scripts that they had inherited for their lives and to independently investigate the truth for themselves. She was met with hostile opposition, abuse and imprisonment. Yet Tahreh was unflinching in her efforts, fixing her eyes on a horizon line of justice and freedom for all. Through Tahereh's actions, we understand the power that sacrifice has in awakening a collective consciousness. Though much of her writing and her poetry was destroyed after her death, her legacy could not be extinguished. So many hearts were transformed by the teachings that she spread. And the seeds of possibility that she planted for equality and freedom are now bursting through the soil of Iran, as evidenced in these brave, youthful, female led protests that erupted following the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini, the 22 year old Kurdisharanian woman who died in police custody after being arrested for improperly wearing her hijab. Now today, when I hear that rallying cry, woman, Life, freedom. I can't help but hear Tahereh's last words before she was executed. Taken in the middle of the night and strangled with her own scarf, she said, you can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women. You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women. Tahereh's legacy invites each of us to consider what is fueling our own activism. Her words and actions, though radical and upending, were not born out of bitterness or hatred or fueled by self interest. It was Tahereh's deep love for humanity that propelled her forward. And therein lies our challenge. Can we stand up against oppression and injustice while deeply rooting our thoughts, our words, our actions, in compassion and love? Tahereh's life teaches us that we must act with urgency and conviction, while recognizing that we may not live to see the fruits of our efforts. We cannot expect immediate gratification in our pursuit of justice, because the transformation of society is a multi generational endeavor. So what can we do? We can take to heart Tahereh's trailblazing example, and in every moment we too can bravely choose to do the next right thing, knowing that we are planting seeds that will grow into trees, under whose branches future generations will find justice and peace. I want to end with a poem of Taherez translated from its original language of Farsi, not only because it feels like it could have been written today in light of all the conflicts we are witnessing with broken hearts all around the world, but also because she offers us a clear and poignant call to action at a time where we might be asking ourselves what we want our legacy to be. Let warring ways be banished from the world. Let justice everywhere its carpet throw. May friendship reconcile ancient hatreds. May love grow from the seed of love we sow. Thank you.

Elise Hu (12:02)

We should mention we followed up with Coleriz earlier this week to reflect on her talk and what she hopes people will take away from it.

Gulris Lucena (Follow-up Interview) (12:09)

I hope that anyone listening to this talk is encouraged to just get curious about their own path of service, their own contribution towards bettering the world. I really believe that every single one of us has something to offer, and if we're not distracted, we can really lock into what that is. And it's different for each of us, but it takes some curiosity. It takes audacity. It might take courage. It might take courage to step away from old paradigms or even just from living a life in autopilot mode and asking, you know, ourselves the hard questions of, well, what are we really here for and what is the contribution that we can make? So I hope that this talk prompts you to think about your own life and what it is that you feel you are here to do, and what is the next step you can take towards that contribution. If someone wants to learn more, a book I recommend is the Hidden Words by Bahaullah. It's a short collection of spiritual meditations that speaks to how necessary the work is of transforming our own hearts as a requisite to creating lasting peace in the world.

Elise Hu (13:31)

That again was Gulris Lucena speaking at the TED Immigrant Diaspora Iran event in 2023. This talk was originally published in January 2024.

Podcast Narrator (13:42)

If you're curious about Ted's curation, find out more@ted.com curationguidelines and that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This talk was fact checked by the TED Research Team and produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little and Tansika Songmani Vong this episode was mixed by Lucy Little. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Ballarezzo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening. Foreign.

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