Broader Horizons

I have to admit that one of the things I have difficulty understanding in this world is how we seem incapable of stopping for a second and considering about how other people might think or feel about something.  Then, I wonder what it was that got me to start thinking about things like this. 

I can attribute some these tendencies to my stamp and postal history hobby.  I have to thank my Mom for giving me the colorful bits of paper to put in a little notebook with (shudder) Elmer's glue starting when I was three years old.  Philately has given me an opportunity over the years to view other cultures and viewpoints through the windows provided by their stamps and how their mail was carried.  While I did not always understand what I was seeing and I typically was more attracted to the things I understood from my own country or those that used the English language, I can still recall numerous facts, thoughts and ideas that came from viewing and handling something from any number of locations on this earth.

Over time, I have made an effort to pick up items from parts of the world for which I had less appreciation and/or understanding.  So, when I found a few Persian postal history items that were inexpensive, but interesting looking, I picked them up.  This past Winter, I took the time to research these items and put them on pages of my own design.

I was struck by the pressures brought to bear on Persia by England and Russia as each country worked to gain influence.  England, in particular, was keen to get a continuous rail line to connect interests in India with rapid transportation.  Even more interesting to me was the fact that Persia 'fought back' by providing its own funds to develop the Trans-Iranian Railway in the 1920's and 1930's.  Given the pressures by foreign powers and the sheer amount of capital being thrown around by foreign businesses, this was quite an accomplishment.

One thought that came to mind as I read more about this?  Persia/Iran is the home to a proud and self-sufficient people - characteristics many Americans would be happy to claim.

The Sudan is another area that holds some fascination for me as well.  Prior to looking at some of the stamps and postal history of the area, I could only give someone a very VERY brief accounting of knowledge regarding that area.  Now, it is still brief, but it at least shows a little effort on my part.

If you want to pick on me a little bit here, you will note that both postal history items are addressed to English speaking destinations and each clearly has some level of Western cultural influence.  To be fair, I need some sort of bridge to get even a little bit of foothold in these areas.  An item written entirely in Arabic with no markings that help me get even a start in research would have done little except frustrate me.

While I don't expect others to do what I do with postal history, I would like to encourage any parents that read this blog to consider encouraging children who have a propensity to collect things to try stamp collecting.  I learned about American history, world history, foreign languages, foreign cultures, geography and numerous other topics simply by viewing and researching the topics depicted on postage stamps.  Let me know if you have a child that might like to give it a try and I'll do what I can to help.