“We must be the change we wish to see in
the world.”
Ghandi
The humanity ends year 2008 by experiencing a crisis
of philosophical and civilization system. The existing value system is being
questioned, and the gap between “profitable and useful progress” versus
“meaningful progress” is steadily increasing.Vast development has been recorded in the field of science, but this
progress can be utilized by only one billion out of the six billion of world
population while the remaining five billion, the Earth and nature, suffer the
consequences and are actually harmed.
Hence the humanity ends year 2008: - by a crisis
of the licentiousness of Capitalism and of market economy; -by decline of the middle classes, who have always been the backbone
of contemporary societies, but are increasingly self-aware and have had enough
of being exploited as milk cows to pay for the stupidities of the few
super-rich (the number of millionaires in the world was 6 million in 2008,
which is by 10% more than in 2007);- by disgraceful
increase of poverty in both the so-called “developing” countries andin the “developed” countries as well as by growing gap between North and
South;-and finally by scandalous failure of the single-minded,
homogeneous and neoliberal/neoconservative ideologies
and policies ruling the world.
At the same time, the humanity ends 2008 with a
new ray of hope, an imperative necessity of new ideologies and value systems, a
demand for re-assessment, and a re-interpretation and renaissance of democracy
and human rights.
On the threshold of 2009, the main challenge for
all of us around the world is the consciousness of making successful this main
transitional period of the 20-21st centuries, learning lessons and
meaningfully assessing it, so that the lessons learned from catastrophes of the
previous century – the genocides, slaughters, intra-national wars, economic and
social disasters, fascism, violence, and biased authorities, aggression,
licentiousness of economic and social injustices and inequalities, destructions
of the humans and nature of 1914, 1915-18, 1929-30, 1935-45, 1960s, 1980-2008,
for the sake of storing up greedy profits- were not learned in vain.
The
challenges we face in the context of this fundamental crisis of
philosophy/civilization and systems are as follows:
1.EITHER, perceive soberly the deep reasons of the crisis, give meaning to the progress and
scientific development, for the sake of spiritual and material welfare of the
overwhelming majority of the humanity; adopting a proactive motion, to review
and give new meaning to the principles of freedom,
equality and brotherhood, determine a new value system and an ideology of alternative formations; try to answer
the questions lying in the heart of the crisis – what societal project shall be developed and what makes this society
meaningful?; choose the way of peaceful revolution, i.e. revolution of values, which will come from practice (from the
street), with the new types ofstruggle and mobilization developed by
the youth, as well as workers and the impoverished, because the existing
intermediary institutions, such as trade unions, political parties, etc, are
perceived as weakened and non-influential. (The recent developments in Europe
come to prove this: mainly the increasing protest movement that was started by the
youth/students in Greece and was against the ruling system and its
representatives; student protests launched in December in France, and the
parents and civic units joined them – the Government had to withdraw its
educational legislative project, fearing from the Greek “infection”, but the
protest rallies continue and a series of new rallies are already announced for
January 2009.)
2.OR, to blindly ignore the main reasons of the crisis,
and gain a snowball effect, sticking into the circulation of panic and
depression; instead of looking for real alternatives, stick the head into sand,
like an ostrich, and not to see the reality and imperatives deriving from it -
trying to save the system, once
again make efforts towards REGULATING
THE SYSTEM... thus, deepen the crisis even further and make the reactionary, disastrous consequences
irreversible for the majority of the humanity, as the attempt of “saving” the
system is taken at the cost of already oppressed and impoverished middle
classes, workers and the deprived – though cutting
wages, unendurably worsening working conditions, unemployment and homelessness,
or the increasing fear of such perspectives, fundamental collapseof illusions, and especially the illusion of unlimited economic growth,
insecurity towards the future and spiritual blindness.All this and more will lead to uncontrollable
outbursts, as the intermediary structures are weakened, too; will lead to
morbid brutalities of finding and punishing a scapegoat; all sorts of
xenophobia will increase, including racial, gender, religious...; this will
lead of total violence, repressions, dreadful legitimacy ofauthoritarian as well as fascist ruling
methods; will lead to intra-national wars, particularly within the “developing”
countries and people that have fallen behind the “profitable/useful progress”,
and ... finally, this will bring to the SAME
RESULT, which is the collapse of the system.
But this second option, which will be combined
with paying a big human price, can be avoided and prevented, in case we are
able to cleverly accept that the system has cracked and the crisis is the
warning of its collapse; in case we are aware of the reasons and choose the
first challenge and way – save the human being and nature, and, unlike we have
done in the past, do not inseminate new human slaughters as well as do not
serve some nations on the sacrificial altar, for the sake of formation of the
new system/new world.
No doubt,
we, the young, middle and old generations, have lived and are living an amazing
turning historical period of the 20-21st centuries.We only need to be conscious and build the
new with a true choice of challenges and ways.Though the birth will be painful and difficult, let us make its result a
miracle, rather than a disaster.
***
Indeed, there are nations and countries, which
are embarking on wonderful internal transformations in the moment of the
crisis.There are also nations and
countries, which mainly accept the disasters and major blows of the crisis, and
are sacrificed in one way or another.Let us not give rise to passiveness and fatality, saying that “it has
always been like this and will continue in the same way, nothing depends on
us”.No, many things depend on us, let
us recall the true wise words of Mong Tseu: “S/He who has a just idea of
providence, does not stand at the foot of a wall which is in danger of falling
into ruins”.
Is the
progress and renaissance of internal transformations a unique ability,
characteristic of YOUNG nations only, or do the OLD nations have it, too?
As of November 2008, it seems that the United
States of America (USA), which has achieved great and irreversible historical
progress, is giving a new idealism to
democracy making it more fraternal and equal both internally and
universally.This is a clear step for
rebirth, true to the ideals of its founders, that is – building the US as a new and
ideal country, based on democracy and human rights.This was embodied in the US Constitution,
which can also be considered to be the first declaration of human rights,
although at the time of its conception it excluded the rights of women and
slaves… They have been forming a country based on ideals of freedom, equality
and fraternity.The United States, which has had centuries of
slavery, slaughter and internal warfare, and has not fully reconciled itself
with its history, is building its nation through dreams and Hollywood
movies.
Following an innovative and expensive political
campaign, 47-year-old Barack Obama won the November presidential elections in
the US.The newly elected president Barak Obama became
a historical and universal symbol of renaissance,
hope and especially of new idealism
based on equality.But the US today is
more than unequal and unjust.The class
and racial logics are being confused.
During the recent years the African-American
upper middle class has grown, but the poor and very poor have been ignored and
the percentage of deaths among them was the highest (the disaster in New Orleans following
Katrina storm was one of the examples of this reality).Obama revived the idea that “The USA is the
country where everything is possible”.In reality, Obama is a representative of the meritocratic elite of the United States;
but it is interesting that the American people are cautious of the elite, as
they believe that the elite failed and betrayed them and conspiratorially
brought about the depression of 1930s, as well as the current and past
recessions.The interesting peculiarity
of Obama is that he is part of the American elite (he has graduated from the
famous Harvard University, and was the first black editor-in-chief of the University’s
authoritative journal), but after finishing the university he preferred social
work in the poor districts of Chicago.He is a man of knowledge, and at the same time he is a man of doubt who
is not afraid to humbly pose questions. Indeed he should be an intellectual,
since he speaks and listens, has the ability to be silent, to listen, and he
has the virtue to doubt, question and search.We can say that the newly elected President of the United States
in an anti-elite intellectual.He, and through him the US, symbolize
change, renaissance and new idealism.This already is an irreversible and indisputable achievement, regardless
of what will happen in the future.As
for how long the symbol will continue to inspire people of the United States
and the rest of the world is a different issue which needs to be thought with
caution and carefully.
***
What
restricts an ancient nation like Armenians from having a renaissance for the
sake of welfare and prosperity of the people.Why does a nation, which is a
two-time world champion of the World Chess tournament, beating both the US and
Israel, demonstrate an inability to record a
human and national development of mind, ideals in the vital sphere of thinking,
developing and implementing fair societal formations.Is it so difficult for an old nation to
ensure a decent standard of living for a population of 3 million in Armenia and
about 140 thousand people in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh), less than 3.5 million
people in total, when this nation – spread all over the - has great
intellectual, spiritual as well as material and financial potential? Why is it
that for centuries, and even now that we have had independent statehood for
almost 20 years, the Armenian thought, Armenian soul, Armenian economy, and the
Armenian society has not created a unique culture, has not developed and have
never been revitalized, and thus, does not contribute to the rest of the world?
Why, as an old nation, have we chosen degradation and senility? And why are we
alienating ourselves and destroying the ecosystems that nourish us and give us
national assets?We are allowing
ourselves to be cut off from our fatherland - that spiritual womb that feeds us
– by emptying it, emigrating, perhaps even accepting its “concession” to
others, and, starting from the liberated Armenian territories of Artsakh,
tolerating an unfair and inhumane governance system, which is becoming worse
and worse.There is no doubt that there
are pockets in our nation that search for ways to evolve, but will the body as
a whole be able to adopt this path? Or will it continue to consider the problem
outside of itself and to place the blame in the centuries of disasters, the
small size of the nation, the unfavorable geography, and the youth of the state
as a reason for its setbacks? Isn’t it true that these “negative
characteristics” that we have either inherited or have been imposed upon us
have also been our assets?The
problem is in the viewpoint, self-value, faith and wisdom of the assessment and
management of the potential virtues.
As long as we hide our wound, ignore it and do
not let it heal, we will continue to live and relate to the rest of the world
in a diseased and mix state of self-humiliation, victimization, envy, and
ignorant self-satisfaction; we remain passive and submitted and will be considered
a candidate for sacrifice in the crises.
The
challenge is ours. Let’s rise to the challenge!With the wisdom of an old nation, let us be aware of our wound and heal
it, let us acknowledge our setbacks and work to make them right.During this transition of reconciling
ourselves with our history we will rediscover ourselves; we will forgive and
find peace of our souls, we will be reborn.Let us not choose the route a nation that is humbly sacrificed to the
crises, but that of a wise and mature nation that develops, creates, and leads
meaningful progress.We will not be
afraid of crises and of others, we will not allow to be robbed, we will not run
away and concede our fatherland, and we will not tolerate unfair and autocratic
governments and authorities; we will mobilize our potential and will
confidently develop the security and welfare of our people. We will take care
and nourish our land, our nature, animals and wealth, we will be proud of our
children, youth, workers, teachers, scientists, intellectuals and artists, our
legitimate and accountable administrators and authorities.Moreover, we will enrich the universal human
thought and civilization with the experiences and achievements of our
meaningful life, alternative social formation and struggles. In this way, Armenia will
begin to constructively contribute to the world.
Why are we so weak-minded that we think this is
an unachievable utopia?This is exactly
the type of thinking that holds us back.Why is it so difficult to believe
in a collective IDEAL, and want to be part of its invention, development and
implementation, the struggle for its realization?Is not it true that the fear,tearing each other into pieces and endless
escapes promise and hold a life full of suffering, as well as, an
assimilationof generations and loss of
our human capital?!Why would we take a
meaningless route, when we can give meaning, make peaceful and reconcile our
temporary visit in this world through creative search and experience of harmony
with ourselves, our nation, humanity and the nature?
On the threshold of 2009, let us re-find ourselves, our nourishing land,
nature and spirituality, let us care and be conscious of the cord
connecting us to them and NOT CUT it.Let us give birth to our collective myth, believing
in the harmonic progress of ourselves, our nation, our fatherland, the humanity
and the Earth; let us give a renewed
meaning to the ideas offreedom,
equality, fraternity and
justice.We can make the impossible possible if we believe, for
the sake of our collective security,
welfare and progress.
