I am a citizen of the world

 

 Author: Susan Niazi

It is commonly believed that the notion of cosmopolitanism had its origins in the writings and beliefs of the Cynic Philosophers, Antisthenes and Diogenes. For Diogenes, ‘all wise men’ made up a single, moral community, a city of the world, a city defined by mental compatibility rather than by physical geography. It was he who first explicitly used the idea of the cosmopolitan to describe someone who was not rooted in any contemporary city-state but was ‘a citizen of the world ’(Sabine 1961).  

I was born in Ahwaz one of the cities in the south of Iran. We moved out of this city when I was 40 “days” old because of my parent’s job commitments. My life during my childhood and adolescence has been like a roller-coaster. One year in a northern locale,  and another year in a town in the west. Different cities, different life, different schools, different friends, and different relationships; these have built the structure of my life.

Thus my outlook naturally has revolved around the idea of travel, and displacement.

To me, this was not the end of the road. This was just the beginning. In order to be familiar with the notion of displacement I decided to prepare myself with the tools and knowledge which I acquired through academic study at university. “Translation” was my major, and then my profession. It became my lucky star to follow. I began translating, and this has been one of my preliminary steps toward the sharing of culture and literature between countries and languages. I believe that in order to achieve the sharing of culture’s finer aspects, we must enhance our collective knowledge and wisdom of other societies. I started translating literary works from English into Persian. The result has been, a novel, many short stories, and articles, of which some of them were published back my country.

Finally, I decided to leave my homeland to familiarize myself with the notion of cosmopolitanism, to become a citizen of the world. First immigrating to Canada to a multicultural country, a country composed of citizens from many nations. During my life as a new citizen of Canada, I traveled to different countries such as France, England, Turkey, Dubai, and America,… and have experienced living with other languages and cultures. In my opinion, living as a cosmopolitan brings with it a responsibility. This is to share my ideas that I have learned from other cultures, and exchange these different cultural/ social experiences with others from around the world, wherever I may travel. My belief is that through translating I will be able to open doors unto the world.   

Looking back, I truly hope and believe that thus far my small steps have contributed to my root Iranian culture. To have successfully shared my experience and knowledge gained in my new life from the other cultures has been immensely satisfying.

Now, I am at the beginning of an important crossroad in my life. As a citizen of the world I have a dream. I have had this dream for a long time. It defines my life. A dream where all countries and societies share their cultural diversities, experiencing freedom and peaceful co-existence, a shared search for knowledge and wisdom, dedicated to the betterment of all mankind. This sharing of customs, cultural diversity and literary works are significant features of all cultures and societies. I have a dream.