I was blessed to have a lengthy conversation with Ahmad, a first-generation Canadian of Iranian descent, during a four-hour flight delay at Pearson Airport in Toronto.
Ahmad was one of the most humble people I have met in a long time. He is well-accomplished professionally and has created a beautiful family, yet he downplayed what his legacy would be, he refused to boast about his accomplishments as a long-tenured engineer, and he stoically stated with a straight face that he would be forgotten within two generations. I suppose he was probably right about that…
Ahmad told me that he was shy and he was doubtful that he would be able to carry his end of the conversation, but he did that and more. And, he’s a really funny guy, in a delightfully dry way.
I will share our conversation in two parts. We touched on his life legacy, challenges he and his wife faced as professionals immigrating to Canada with foreign credentials, how these barriers might be addressed, his love for Canada, truths revealed about Iran and its people, and discrimination that is faced by “foreigners” who immigrate to various countries.
Canada is Ahmad’s home and he has no desire to leave. But, he still feels a connection to his homeland, Iran. Ahmad dropped 68-years of wisdom on me and he concluded his remarks by opining that humans the world over are more similar than we are dissimilar.
15 окт 2024
