There is no truth on the Earth, – how Pushkin asserts by words of his character Salieri, and hopeless continued, but there is no truth above. So, how can we, just contemplators, judge the life around us. Actually, when we come up to Iraq today. Everything is ambiguously in modern Iraqi society, that consists of old generation witch remembers the gold times and young generation that was born in time of wars and destroying of state (literally – after Hussein’s regime falling) and accept all this as a norm. For Iraqis and for aliens its hard to understand where is national features end and religion tradition starts, or where is political condition interferes and changed many things. So, we have a cocktail which contain not easy to identify. Anyway lets try to talk about features of Iraqi life through eyes of alien. About positives side at first. After that – about sides that seems negative.
1. Hospitality
In Islam guests are very high honored as a grace of God (the prophet said: «Аngels don’t visit house without guests»). In Bible also they concern fervently of guests («Given to hospitality», Rom. 12.13). May be it is Middle East religious education makes its inhabitants such this, may be another things, anyway people here are happy to receive and to humor the guests and there is also crockery and beddings for them exist in house.
For example if somebody need a overnight stop (it happen with refugees from occupied cities) usually they have three days before they start be questioned about the situation, if they still didn’t tell anything and didn’t ask about any help, but before you ought give him food, drinks and everything they need.
Relatives visit each other without let them know about it and without knocking a door. And they feel like it their home also. In western society we see the opposite situation, people visit relatives very seldom, and prepare to visit, buy something and don’t feel like house of father or uncle, aunt is their house also. Here close relatives visit each other often without any formal thing. That’s why in every house is drawing-room, in well-to-do houses it should be the most beautiful room, full of decorative things. Also is certainly for every house to have enough …., big , bedding, because relatives could stay for week-ends.
2. Mutual aid and generosity
One of the facts about Iraq, that most people admit. For example someone gave to another one 50$ till tomorrow, because those needed it immediately and he backed the. This is a usual here. Pay for your friend, neighbor or just anybody who doesn’t have enough money its also… The Merchant can give you for free a small thing like baublegoom or cheap notebook. When friends finished lunch at restaurant they fight about who will pay for all. In family the older relatives very often buy some staffs for younger. To give money for vagabond or somebody homeless also is important for Iraqis. You can take for time car from your neighbor, it is not strangely.
3. Amenity into human interaction
Being among Iraqis you can’t notice any depressiveness, melancholy, chill or frigidity of demeanor. Vise versa they are very cordial, talkative, they joke, smile and laugh all time and it is seems like any war, any crisis cant brake this epicurean approach to life. Also they don’t come prying into somebody’s feelings, don’t seek out sense of life, don’t speak about work, advances etc. The communication (converse) for Iraqis is it not a discussion about current businesses, finance situation, plans for future. The communication for them is just a process of enjoyment. May be that’s why they don’t need to seek out the conversation topic – they talk with pleasure about anything because the only process is matter and people adore it without masking it.
Also you can’t meet anyone rude with you – any merchant, doctor, policeman. Its looks like they don’t know what is rudeness at all and, with reason or without, they present you with cordiality, wish you luck, God blessing and express ones complete readiness to do any service for you.
4. The moral code
Аlcohol and sex have no popularization and don’t entire to people life. No allusion about it in TV, people don’t talk, don’t joke about it, its not a topic to magazines. Parents don’t bring drink to home. Who want to drink must do it outside, or in his own room, hiding this. Shops don’t sale alcohol, condoms, pregnancy tests (this is sale only in pharmacy) etc. Alcohol is sale in special shops, most of its owners are Christians.
But this not mean that sex is something unknown for iraqies. Versa in book market there is books about it, there is many shops with erotic women underwear, which full of women. Also there is bordels. But this part of human life separated from daily life and take its own place.
Boys and girls from age of 12 are study apart. So, the teens don’t live in sexual stress, flirt, they don’t think about how to buy and drink cheap alcohol or smoke cigarette behind a school. Debauchery is not a vogue, the relationships between men and women accepted only in marriage, so the young people could pay full attention to their education, personal development. And this is normal lie of the land here for all.
Family centrism, or Only important, basic things are priority
People don’t pay attention to those how they take rest, how to be drunk, how to make a next relationships, they create families and spent their lives in cares about it. Also they think about good job, but anyway family take a fist place (about Iraq family read here). And surpricely that their lives more funny, happy and full, than lives of lonely people who spent time looking for satisfactions and rest.
So, Iraq facts that in present days this country have a strong family culture, and there is no alcoholisms, kids with unknown fathers, weak families where is all times brawl, no respect for parents and grandparent who are visited very seldom. Of course this horrible things also happen here, but only as a exclusion, not as usual.
About negative sides read in the next article.
