# Leaving, Returning, and Choosing to Build | Ehsan Sayyafzadeh | TEDxAmirKabir Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxSMej47rq0 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/WxSMej47rq0 Generated: 2025-11-12T16:42:13.545+00:00 --- ## 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. ![Screenshot at 07:58: The speaker pauses, looking down while holding his phone, reflecting on the immense difficulty of his decision to leave his beloved country despite familial advice.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-07-58.png) **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. ### The Decision to Leave - Speaker sold his car and assets to leave Iran in 2020 - Driven by persistent feeling of falling behind peers abroad - Felt intense pressure due to severe air pollution in Tehran ### Internal Conflict and External Advice - Initially resisted leaving despite friends succeeding abroad - Father advised him to stay, but the speaker felt he couldn't continue living in the current environment ### The Final Push - A bad flight delay out of Tehran made him return home feeling defeated - A subsequent trip abroad confirmed his decision to leave permanently for better opportunities ### Resolution and Reflection - Realized that staying meant missing out on a better life - Decided to leave to build a better life abroad so he could potentially return later with more to offer Iran ![Screenshot at 00:07: TEDxAmirKabir event introduction screen displaying sponsor logos.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-00-07.png) ![Screenshot at 00:07: Introduction slide for the speaker, Ehsan Sayyafzadeh, listing his credentials in Persian.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-00-07.png) ![Screenshot at 00:10: Speaker Ehsan Sayyafzadeh taking the stage for his TEDx talk.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-00-10.png) ![Screenshot at 00:26: Speaker pausing at the start, directly addressing the audience with his initial question: 'Why am I here?'](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-00-26.png) ![Screenshot at 00:43: Speaker gesturing while explaining the difference between qualitative and quantitative aspects of a situation, holding a phone.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-00-43.png) ![Screenshot at 01:17: Close-up of the speaker looking concerned while holding his phone, referencing an interaction with his uncle.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-01-17.png) ![Screenshot at 02:25: Wide shot of the speaker on stage, with Iranian flags flanking the screen, highlighting the national context of his story.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-02-25.png) ![Screenshot at 03:43: Speaker explaining a concept using hand gestures, contrasting his life abroad with his feelings about Iran.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-03-43.png) ![Screenshot at 04:43: Speaker recounting the negative experience of returning to Iran and observing the smog.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-04-43.png) ![Screenshot at 08:39: Speaker describing the smog in Tehran, gesturing towards an imagined location outside the venue.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/WxSMej47rq0/00-08-39.png)