Leaving, Returning, and Choosing to Build | Ehsan Sayyafzadeh | TEDxAmirKabir

Quick Overview

The speaker recounts his difficult decision to leave Iran in 2020 despite his deep love for the country, driven by an overwhelming desire to escape the suffocating smog and pursue better living conditions abroad, a feeling that persisted despite his father's advice to stay and his own earlier resistance to leaving.

Key Points: The speaker sold his assets, including his car, to fund his departure from Iran in 2020. He felt an intense, persistent desire to leave Iran due to the suffocating smog and the feeling that he was falling behind his peers who had already emigrated. He struggled with the decision because he deeply loved Iran, contrasting his situation with his friends who were living better lives abroad. His father advised him to stay, but the speaker felt compelled to leave, even after experiencing a very bad flight delay out of Tehran. Upon returning to Iran after a trip abroad, the speaker realized he could not stay because the smog and pollution were too severe, leading him to finally decide to emigrate. He ultimately decided to leave Iran despite loving the country, recognizing that staying would mean missing out on opportunities and a better quality of life he perceived others were experiencing.

Context: This TEDx talk, delivered by Ehsan Sayyafzadeh (identified on screen as a King's College London graduate and founder of the Chavosh Group), is a personal narrative about the difficult choice between staying in one's homeland due to love and loyalty, and leaving for better life opportunities, heavily influenced by environmental factors like air pollution.

Detailed Analysis

Ehsan Sayyafzadeh narrates the emotional turmoil surrounding his decision to emigrate from Iran in 2020. He explains that he sold his assets, including his car, to finance his move, despite deeply loving his country. This decision was fueled by a persistent feeling of being left behind compared to his friends who had already emigrated and were enjoying better lives abroad. He recounts an initial reluctance to leave, evidenced by a story where he spent a significant amount of money on a flight out of Tehran only to have it delayed, causing him to return home feeling defeated. However, a subsequent trip abroad solidified his resolve; upon returning to Iran, the severe air pollution (specifically mentioning the smog around Imam Khomeini Airport and the traffic congestion) made him realize that staying was no longer viable for him. He felt that if he loved Iran, he should make the sacrifice to leave so he could potentially return later with a better life and contribute more meaningfully. The speaker concludes by sharing that he eventually made the final decision to leave, despite his father's advice to remain.