Influence has multiple meanings to each and every person.
Some may see influence as controlling and powerful, while others.
may see it as inspirational and helpful. I see influence as a searing light; consuming my insides.
at first, then filling the skies with warm pastels and sweet tender bliss. The guiding light in my.
life is Shahriar Shahriari.
Shahriari is an inspirational author, speaker, and leader of the modern Zoroastrian.
movement. He was born in 1963 and was educated in England and Canada as a Mechanical.
Engineer. In 1994, Shahriari's life was greatly altered when he put his career and education.
aside, and went on a 40 day trip along the West coast of the United States and Canada, which he.
calls his "Vision Quest". This trip persuaded him to spread the hidden beauties of.
Zoroastrianism through novels, poetry, and speeches. This marked the turning point in.
Shahriari's life.
Shahriari's novel, Thus Spake The Real Zarathustra, was introduced to me last summer,.
by Shahriari himself. I met him at my Aunt's party in Canada. I remember drifting into a room.
where I heard uproaring laughter in the corner. The laughter emanated from a middle-aged man.
in the middle of a group of children. Surprisingly, the man was not lecturing them with.
boredom, but was telling them hilarious jokes. I asked my Aunt if she knew who that source of.
joy was. She revealed his powerful name: Shahriar Shahriari. During the party, I was sitting.
alone because I did not know anyone there. Shahriari noticed that I was alone and sat next to.
me. He initiated the conversation by asking me to take off my watch and hand it to him. I did, .
and he looked at the watch and read "G-Shock". Sensing an irony I did not comprehend, he.
threw my watch on the floor. He then said "G-Shock? It's not going to break." , and proceeded.
to throw it down again. As he kept throwing my watch, I was struck by the fact that this.
middle-aged man was testing whether my watch would break or not.