The letter

The Letter   -   in Persian    حرف الف 

By: John Kazerooni

Once upon a time, in a distant and admired civilization, a child was born. Nothing about his birth seemed extraordinary, yet in time his voice would shape the lives of many. As he grew, he spoke of a single letter, “A.” He did not present it as a symbol, but as a truth—not as a tool of language, but as the source of meaning itself.

He told his followers that the letter was divine. To accept it was to belong, to question it was to stand outside, and to deny it was to invite punishment. Slowly, the letter was elevated. It was painted, polished, and displayed. It was declared complete and eternal, while all other letters were dismissed, some as mistakes and others as threats.

Through the letter, he promised fulfillment in this world and certainty in the next. He claimed there would never again be such a letter and stripped all others of value. To protect and spread this belief, borders expanded—not only across land, but across thought. Cities fell and lives were lost. Children grew without parents, and parents buried their children.

In the name of the letter, other beliefs—“B,” “C,” and countless more—were erased. Some letters disappeared entirely, while others survived only in silence. Time passed. Followers became rulers, belief hardened into doctrine, and what was once questioned became tradition.

The cruelty of those years did not vanish; it was rewritten. Scholars softened it, supporters justified it, and many claimed it was necessary, that there had been no other way. But history, though patient, does not forget.

This is not a story bound to one time or one place. The letter changes its name, but not its nature. Sometimes it is called faith, sometimes progress, sometimes security, economy, technology, or ideology. An idea is chosen, refined, and presented as inevitable. We remain trapped in messages and headlines, believing we are informed, yet lacking the time or will to read history and awaken to what unfolds before us. Our thoughts are shaped by streams of truth and falsehood alike, arriving faster than reflection allows.

A society, tired and distracted, accepts the idea without pause, not because it agrees, but because it does not question. The trap stands in plain sight. It works because it demands nothing from us. The deepest harm is not force alone, but distortion—when truth is buried beneath explanation and justice is confused by carefully shaped history.

From this, society divides. Some accept the letter despite its violence. Some reject it after examining its cost. Some inherit belief without reflection. Some withdraw, believing indifference is neutrality. Yet a society raised on falsehood cannot remain untouched. Like a slow disease, it spreads through language, through memory, and through silence.

And in the end, when the blood of the innocent, young and old, has paid its price, we stand confused and ask ourselves how this happened.

Questions for Reflection

When does belief quietly transform into doctrine, and doctrine into control?

Is an idea still sacred when it demands obedience rather than understanding?

Can truth survive when history is justified instead of examined?

What role do intellectuals and institutions play in shaping selective memory?

Is silence in the face of distortion a form of participation or complicity?

Can indifference ever be neutral when harm is visible?

How does misinformation reshape morality across generations?

Can reason compete with convenience in a distracted society?

What responsibility do individuals carry to question inherited beliefs?

How many lives must be lost before necessity is no longer an excuse?

And finally, what is the letter being elevated in our time, and who is paying its price?

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