Mayim expresses her confusion by the Iran Deal

Iran. I am supposed to write something about Iran.

I thought I had opinions about the Iran nuclear deal. And I did some research. And then I thought I had completely opposite opinions about Iran and the nuclear deal. Some things really confuse me, and this is one of them. I will admit I can’t wait for Hank and John Green to post a “What’s Up With This Iran Thing?” explanation. (In the meantime, here’s a “simple guide” to some of the issues, from the New York Times. )

But generally speaking, I don’t understand how you can have two opposing sides of this kind of issue say things that are so opposed to each other that the only solution I can imagine is that one side is 100 percent unequivocally wrong.

For example, I’ve heard the following: “This deal is the best way for Iran to not have nuclear weapons.” But you’ll also hear, “This deal is the best way for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”

It reminds me of political campaigning. You’ll hear people quote statistics and say things like, “President Obama has been horrible for the economy.” But you’ll then hear the other side say, “President Obama has been terrific for the economy.”

It makes me so frustrated. I don’t understand why politics has to cloud… well, politics. I just want to know what’s true. And then once I know what’s true, I can either like it or not like it depending on my beliefs and convictions.

Here’s what I mean:

• I am 100 percent sure that I don’t believe people should have nuclear weapons. At all. No exceptions. Period. And so I want to know if this deal makes it easier or not easier for Iran to have them.
• I’ve heard people say this deal doesn’t go far enough; what does that mean?
• What else are we actually supposed to do to go far enough so that they never get nuclear weapons? And some people say we shouldn’t make the deal at all because Iran is so problematic. What does that mean? What does not dealing with them even show them?

I feel a tad embarrassed to admit all of this, but I think it’s the way a lot of us feel. I don’t want to be part of a political mess every time I see something like this in the news. But I am.

I commend the leaders around the world pursuing peace. I wish it was easier to see who they are, and to understand what we can do to support that goal, politics aside. But it seems to be hard to put politics aside.

I don’t want any more wars. I don’t want to live in a world where nation threatens nation. I hope in my children’s lifetime that they can see a world that shifts how we treat nuclear weapons and war.

God knows we have enough evidence in our lifetime to support finding other ways. I talk to my kids frankly about it in age-appropriate ways. War is wrong and ugly and horrible. It’s not healthy for children and other living things.

I’m on the side of the Iran deal opinion that supports peace. I hope the Green brothers can help me figure out what side that is. That isn’t too much pressure, is it, guys?