Ooremn......3 down.....3 to go! It's funny how people are during finals. My phone doesn't ring, and hardly anyone IM's. Everyone is in their world....studying, or writing, or reading, or maybe catching up on sleep. The other day, I was sitting outside in the quad at school, and i noticed this girl walking through the quad. She was a normal, typical female student....so why did she catch my attention?? Well, she was on her cell phone (mobile) and was just blabbing away-loud- about her horrible day. I mean, it's not like I was eavesdropping on her conversation. Apparently she didn't even notice that there were people around. It was as if she was just in her own world....talking away. I mean, her day seemed like a real drag from what I heard ...but it was fascinating to me how oblivious she was to the world around her.
So you're thinking..."geez shoosh, why do we care?" ......Well hold on....i have a point (i hope). The way this girl was walking around not noticing the reality of everyone else around her seemed very similar to some spoorkahye's lives. I'm not quite sure that the people who read this log are necessarily these spoorkahyes, but i'm sure you know a couple Armenians like this.
While I was growing up, the "hot topic" was ARTSAKH. During the years of the Artsakhian Azadakragan Sharjoom, the Armenian Community was reactivated....they had a mission....they had a goal. All of a sudden, all fundraisers were to raise money for Artsakh. Art became focused on Artsakh. We read articles and wrote our reflections.....all about Artsakh. Well, it was during Navasartian Games (July 4th Weekend - HMEM games) that our youth group had set up an information booth, and we were also selling t-shirts to help in the fundraising. I remember, a woman in her mid 30's came up to the table and asked us what we were selling. Of course we explained to her who we were and why we were selling these shirts....but the lady looked confused. She asked, "Who is Artsakh?" .................I kid you not. So, I equate her to the cell-phone-girl. How could an Armenian living in the same community as I was, not know what Artsakh was (at least that it was a WHAT and not a WHO).....how could she not know what our fellow Armenians were struggling against? This was frustrating for me. She was oblivious to her "Armenian-ness". Oblivious to the world around her....well at least the world that was obviously not influenced by her Armenianism.
Here is the sad part....there are more like that lady. In high school, my history teacher devoted an entire MONTH to teaching us about the Jewish Holocaust. So, of course, I raised my hand and asked Mr. Keyes why we weren't learning about the Armenian Genocide? He paused...and said in a very matter of fact tone..."Well, would you like to do that for us?" WOW...he was giving me an opportunity to talk to my peers about the Genocide..... Do I even need to tell u that I grabbed this opportunity? :) But here is the story..... There was another Armenian in that class with me. The teacher decided to give both of us the responsibility, so I got together with this guy. It turns out, that this guy didn't really know anything about the Genocide. When I showed him all the pictures, and literature, and facts....he was shocked! He had no idea!
These are just TWO of the people I've come across over the years. I guess this log is going to be a call out to everyone..... EDUCATE!!! EDUCATE!!! EDUCATE!!! How can I stress the importance of this.... The 2 people I wrote about above are not like those Armenians who live in communities where they are maybe 1 of 5 families or something. These are Armenians who live in the second largest Armenian community outside Hayasdan! They are surrounded by Armenian newspapers, Armenian TV, Books, Produce stores, recording studios, and evens like the Navasartian Games. I see that as totally different from the person who lives in, I don't know....some mid-east state. They are not surrounded by the culture.
But, there's a flip side to the 2 stories above. Sometimes, situation has it in such a way where someone doesn't get the opportunity or the encouragement to know about their history. My theory is....it's inevitable. In their search for self, they will one day find out who they are and where they came from....and most importantly-why they are there. It's what they do with that knowledge afterwards that matters.
I've always thought....being Armenian is not easy. We have this immense responsibility of knowing our past and working towards our future...not just as individuals - but as a nation. It's like there is this constant battle. There is this "unrest" deep deep within us....which we can't always identify. We feel out of place in our communities.... we've created our own "oasis"-es. Someone once asked me..."If you were gonna be born once more, would you choose to be Armenian?" -- Wow.....such a difficult question!!! Do I want to be Shooshig Avakian or would I rather be Sandra Smith who didn't have to worry about a Hayasdan or a Genocide, or ancestral lands, or Artsakh, or the homeless Armenians, or the fate of the church, ...etc. I know my answer :) Think about yours!
This log was a bunch of incoherent thoughts....spits of my brain i guess! (ew) :) Incomplete...i'm debating on deleting it...but I spent time typing it...u might as well read my jumbled thoughts. I guess today was a "SHOOSHIG UNPLUGGED" entry. Just an example of how unorganized the rest of my brain is....as opposed to the files of "geography, speech, chicano studies, english, history....." etc. Or maybe just proof that I need sleep! :) (oh ya....the weather is cold and windy....hahaha) TSUH!
So you're thinking..."geez shoosh, why do we care?" ......Well hold on....i have a point (i hope). The way this girl was walking around not noticing the reality of everyone else around her seemed very similar to some spoorkahye's lives. I'm not quite sure that the people who read this log are necessarily these spoorkahyes, but i'm sure you know a couple Armenians like this.
While I was growing up, the "hot topic" was ARTSAKH. During the years of the Artsakhian Azadakragan Sharjoom, the Armenian Community was reactivated....they had a mission....they had a goal. All of a sudden, all fundraisers were to raise money for Artsakh. Art became focused on Artsakh. We read articles and wrote our reflections.....all about Artsakh. Well, it was during Navasartian Games (July 4th Weekend - HMEM games) that our youth group had set up an information booth, and we were also selling t-shirts to help in the fundraising. I remember, a woman in her mid 30's came up to the table and asked us what we were selling. Of course we explained to her who we were and why we were selling these shirts....but the lady looked confused. She asked, "Who is Artsakh?" .................I kid you not. So, I equate her to the cell-phone-girl. How could an Armenian living in the same community as I was, not know what Artsakh was (at least that it was a WHAT and not a WHO).....how could she not know what our fellow Armenians were struggling against? This was frustrating for me. She was oblivious to her "Armenian-ness". Oblivious to the world around her....well at least the world that was obviously not influenced by her Armenianism.
Here is the sad part....there are more like that lady. In high school, my history teacher devoted an entire MONTH to teaching us about the Jewish Holocaust. So, of course, I raised my hand and asked Mr. Keyes why we weren't learning about the Armenian Genocide? He paused...and said in a very matter of fact tone..."Well, would you like to do that for us?" WOW...he was giving me an opportunity to talk to my peers about the Genocide..... Do I even need to tell u that I grabbed this opportunity? :) But here is the story..... There was another Armenian in that class with me. The teacher decided to give both of us the responsibility, so I got together with this guy. It turns out, that this guy didn't really know anything about the Genocide. When I showed him all the pictures, and literature, and facts....he was shocked! He had no idea!
These are just TWO of the people I've come across over the years. I guess this log is going to be a call out to everyone..... EDUCATE!!! EDUCATE!!! EDUCATE!!! How can I stress the importance of this.... The 2 people I wrote about above are not like those Armenians who live in communities where they are maybe 1 of 5 families or something. These are Armenians who live in the second largest Armenian community outside Hayasdan! They are surrounded by Armenian newspapers, Armenian TV, Books, Produce stores, recording studios, and evens like the Navasartian Games. I see that as totally different from the person who lives in, I don't know....some mid-east state. They are not surrounded by the culture.
But, there's a flip side to the 2 stories above. Sometimes, situation has it in such a way where someone doesn't get the opportunity or the encouragement to know about their history. My theory is....it's inevitable. In their search for self, they will one day find out who they are and where they came from....and most importantly-why they are there. It's what they do with that knowledge afterwards that matters.
I've always thought....being Armenian is not easy. We have this immense responsibility of knowing our past and working towards our future...not just as individuals - but as a nation. It's like there is this constant battle. There is this "unrest" deep deep within us....which we can't always identify. We feel out of place in our communities.... we've created our own "oasis"-es. Someone once asked me..."If you were gonna be born once more, would you choose to be Armenian?" -- Wow.....such a difficult question!!! Do I want to be Shooshig Avakian or would I rather be Sandra Smith who didn't have to worry about a Hayasdan or a Genocide, or ancestral lands, or Artsakh, or the homeless Armenians, or the fate of the church, ...etc. I know my answer :) Think about yours!
This log was a bunch of incoherent thoughts....spits of my brain i guess! (ew) :) Incomplete...i'm debating on deleting it...but I spent time typing it...u might as well read my jumbled thoughts. I guess today was a "SHOOSHIG UNPLUGGED" entry. Just an example of how unorganized the rest of my brain is....as opposed to the files of "geography, speech, chicano studies, english, history....." etc. Or maybe just proof that I need sleep! :) (oh ya....the weather is cold and windy....hahaha) TSUH!
posted by shooosh at 8:45 AM
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