Hello, or as my family and other Aramaic-speaking-people great each other- Shlama Ilakhoon (peace be with you), My name is Anwiya, I am twenty-three years old. My family is from northern Iraq. I was born in Iran, but only lived there for months as a baby. I grew up in southeast Michigan until I was 19. I've lived in Tucson, San Francisco, and now I live north of San Diego in Encinitas. I am Assyrian, which is a middle-eastern ethnicity that makes up a small population relative to the Arab world (about 4% of the population of Iraq). The main cultural differences are Assyrians speak Aramaic and follow the tradition of Christianity. As a result, my people have faced centuries of religious persecution. I no longer actively participate in organized religious tradition, but I do believe absolute cooperation is the most efficient and harmonious way we can do things. I've developed a great interest in peace and consciousness mostly because of what I've learned about human history (thank you Howard Zinn), the troubling experiences relayed to me by my parents in Iraq, and especially in response to the post-9/11 world we live in. I try not to become too stressed about everything we human beings are doing to each other. I find consolation in some of what Ram Dass has taught, but for the most part, I am rather cynical in regards to the future of the human species. I'm really glad to be here with all of you on this forum as I'm sure you share some of my concerns. I also like to play "In My Life" on my flute ^_^ eace:eace:eace:eace: Anwiya
