Hamid Basiri

From a young age, Hamid was captivated by the night sky. Growing up in Tehran, he would lie on the rooftop of his home for hours, gazing into the stars until sleep quietly took him. The roar of airplanes flying overhead, on their way to or from the nearby airport, didn’t disturb him—instead, it became a kind of music, a comforting rhythm that stirred his imagination.

At seventeen, he sat spellbound in front of the television, watching as the first Apollo touched down on the Moon. It wasn’t just history in the making; to him, it was a glimpse into the world he longed to be part of. Though the exact path to the stars seemed far, he chose the closest route he could find—mechanical engineering at the University of Tehran.

After completing his master’s degree, he followed his dream abroad. In Toulouse, France, he earned a PhD in aerodynamics. A few years later, he pursued a second PhD in flight mechanics at Kyushu University in Japan. His journey, both academic and personal, had taken him far from that rooftop in Tehran, yet closer to the sky he had always loved.

Hamid returned to Iran and dedicated himself to teaching and research in aerospace engineering. It seemed he had fulfilled the childhood longing that had once stirred under the stars. But life, as it often does, shifted course. Standing at a quiet personal crossroads, he walked away from everything he had built and stepped into the unknown. He chose a new path, immigrating to Canada in search of something less tangible, yet more essential.

The professional achievements that once defined him began to lose their color. He felt unmoored, disconnected from purpose, from identity. This period of confusion stretched long, but the deepest turning point came with the loss of his beloved wife. She had been his companion in every sense, loving, steady, always beside him. Her absence created a silence unlike any other. It was not just grief, it was isolation.

For over five years, he withdrew from the world. The silence became his landscape, and solitude his only constant. But slowly, through reflection, surrender, and the quiet work of inner search, Hamid began to find his way back—not to what he had lost, but to something new. He turned toward self-knowledge, and in doing so, discovered a deeper kind of peace.

Now in the later years of his life, Hamid lives not in pursuit of the stars, but in harmony with himself. The sky still calls to him, but it is no longer a place to reach—it is a mirror of his own vast and quiet being.

His Role in the Community
Today, in the soft light of his elder years, Hamid offers himself in service to the healing journey of others. He walks not ahead as a leader, but alongside as a companion—a fellow traveler who has known both the beauty and the sorrow of the human path.

As an elder of the community, Hamid creates a space of trust, patience, and deep listening. He honors each person’s unique journey, encouraging them to reconnect with the wisdom and strength already alive within their own hearts. Rather than offering answers, he offers presence. Rather than giving direction, he reflects the light each soul already carries. With humility and love, Hamid walks with those who seek to find their way home—to themselves.