NO ONE EVER MEANS "NEVER AGAIN":

It is hard to express what it means, if you have lived under an authoritarian regime, to experience freedom. Those who have grown up with the privilege of liberty are lucky not to understand it--and the heavy price you are willing to pay for it if you have lived without it. 

But having the chance to elect your leaders is better than having zero say in who governs you for life. 

Having the chance to speak freely--the barbarous casualty count notwithstanding--is better than being hunted down for the sin of wrongthink.

Having the chance to defend yourself, as the people of Kurdistan have shown--the seemingly insurmountable obstacles notwithstanding--is better than a people so utterly subjugated they lose the will to fight.

Having the chance to pursue an education to the fullest extent of one's intellect--persistent gender inequality notwithstanding--is better than consigning an entire population to illiteracy of anything beyond the books dictated by the regime.

Having the chance to make others laugh--potential persecution for doing so notwithstanding--is better than a life entirely devoid of humor.

Something I learned from my dad early on is that no regime can take that away from you--that questioning of official truths, that ability to think critically. 

This is why, despite everything, despite all of the experts and the conventional wisdom and the unpopularity of my views, I remain optimistic that one day, I will be able to travel back to my old neighborhood. To go back to my old home. To revel in the memories I shared with my family there. Especially with Samir. 

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