in 2018 I visited Iran

As an American it was a difficult visa to get and one condition was that I had a govt minder/ translator with me at all times and I was not allowed to talk with anyone else

I had many small interactions though, including one with a pilot in the air-force

I had convinced the govt agent to let me sit alone on a bench in a park in Isfahan while he sat watching me from a nearby bench

There was a family picnicking on the grass and the father brought me a small cup of tea. He said 'welcome,' and returned to sit with his family. After finishing the tea I got up, walked over and returned the cup.

The govt agent moved quickly to intercept and spoke with the man in Farsi. This happened every time I interacted with anyone and in most cases that was the end of the interaction. This time, perhaps because he was military, the man having the picnic with his family seemed more allowed to interact with me and invited me to sit down and share some fruit with his family.

The minder sat next to me. The man poured another cup of tea and asked my name. The man spoke basic English and we didn't talk to much, but we sat sharing fruit and looking at photos that the man had in his wallet of his family.

As this war drags on, I think of all the people I met in Iran and how kind they were to me. How much they smiled.

War doesn't just kill people, it kills our humanity. Every bomb ever made falls on all of us.