The life of an Iranian in Iran is said to be centred around its faces and figures in many ways. These are religious clerics, local politicians, and celebrities of many types and hues. Such are a marketplace of ideas and ideals that buzz and fizz in-between the raucous activity of a normal Middle Eastern country.
The loss or absence of Ali Khamenei is the lack of the one that loomed largest, since he came to define the cultural mix of hopes and attitude more than anyone else. He factored in his rule with inroads that they now know ran deeper than previously thought. He was a watchful keeper, but also a Big Brother.
Living without a menace or an inspiration has come to be a fact of the matter for those in the Middle East, that’ve felt the full force of strikes or conflict in their backyard. The loss is statecraft, but there’s a sense of dissatisfaction that cannot be interpreted so easily. Pressure makes people feel enslaved, but a country is still a worthy cause.