I know, I know… it’s been ages. But what can I say, it’s all that squash! By the way, I suck at this game. I am however, very determined to improve within the next months. It’s a cool game and I think I am starting to get the hang of it.
Weather for Shooshig… it’s a beautiful winter with not enough snow, in my view. It’s not as cold as we are used to, but most Canadians seem to enjoy this!
OK, here’s something different that happened this week. I was invited along with another 30 youth members of the community centre for an open forum to discuss 3 issues of concern. The first was Armenia (very vast topic), the second the recognition of the Genocide (another very large topic) the third was about the community centres and youth, its present situation and the future of the Montreal communities. I really appreciated this honest approach of actually giving the youth time and a place to voice their opinions. Although I must admit, the youth were not as outspoken as I wished they were. There are many who still think like their fathers and their grandfather for that matter. There were a few who had clairvoyance and could see the bigger picture. Some were completely oblivious to the issues, which gave the meeting a certain flavor.
One of the issues that seemed to stir a lot of S--t was the issue of the Genocide. I won’t get into all the details but I want to share some of the comments made and the reactions by some of the youth. One person talked about moving on. Trying to put the issue at another level, one where we publicly forgive the Turkish government and by that act, insist that the act happened and they are the perpetrators. This person insisted that there were other issues, current ones that needed as much if not more attention. This person was referring mostly to the current socio-economic situation in today’s Armenia. Another participant asked if anyone of the participants, their families or friends were ready to move back to Western Armenia if the issue was resolved and if the Turks acknowledged the Genocide. How would we populate this vast land if we can’t keep today’s relatively smaller Armenia populated with its own citizens? Some youth were very adamant about the issue and the fact that we should never forget the dream of a united free Armenia. Needless to say, there was lots of melodrama in the room. It seems that even after 86 years, this issue still excites people and makes them think more with their emotions than their heads. Don’t get me wrong, I think PASSION is an important ingredient in our community affairs. If we don’t have that we will gradually lose interest and quickly move on to other things.
My thoughts? Well, it’s quite difficult to talk about the Genocide as a separate issue. For me, all of the issues relating to “Armenia” and “Armenianness” are intertwined. We need to talk about institutions like the Church, the Schools we need to reflect about the culture and what has influenced it during the past century. We need to talk about Diaspora-Armenia relationship, investment (both resource and personal) in Armenia. We need to completely re-evaluate the mandates of the organisations (Shooshig can enumerate them all).
I think about this everyday. I’ve even laid out various solutions and alternative approaches… but I’m not sure the community leaders are ready to listen to my outlandish ideas.
PS: have you had a chance to read some of Ara Baliozian’s thoughts?
"Armenian by ancestry, Canadian writer Ara Baliozian was born in Athens, Greece, and educated in Venice, Italy. Widely published in English and Armenian, he has been awarded many prizes and grants for his literary work. He is a regular to many publications in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. His best-selling study THE ARMENIANS: THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE. He has been translated into French, German, Greek, Spanish, and Armenian."
Visit here for more http://www.narek.com/arabaliozian.htm
Weather for Shooshig… it’s a beautiful winter with not enough snow, in my view. It’s not as cold as we are used to, but most Canadians seem to enjoy this!
OK, here’s something different that happened this week. I was invited along with another 30 youth members of the community centre for an open forum to discuss 3 issues of concern. The first was Armenia (very vast topic), the second the recognition of the Genocide (another very large topic) the third was about the community centres and youth, its present situation and the future of the Montreal communities. I really appreciated this honest approach of actually giving the youth time and a place to voice their opinions. Although I must admit, the youth were not as outspoken as I wished they were. There are many who still think like their fathers and their grandfather for that matter. There were a few who had clairvoyance and could see the bigger picture. Some were completely oblivious to the issues, which gave the meeting a certain flavor.
One of the issues that seemed to stir a lot of S--t was the issue of the Genocide. I won’t get into all the details but I want to share some of the comments made and the reactions by some of the youth. One person talked about moving on. Trying to put the issue at another level, one where we publicly forgive the Turkish government and by that act, insist that the act happened and they are the perpetrators. This person insisted that there were other issues, current ones that needed as much if not more attention. This person was referring mostly to the current socio-economic situation in today’s Armenia. Another participant asked if anyone of the participants, their families or friends were ready to move back to Western Armenia if the issue was resolved and if the Turks acknowledged the Genocide. How would we populate this vast land if we can’t keep today’s relatively smaller Armenia populated with its own citizens? Some youth were very adamant about the issue and the fact that we should never forget the dream of a united free Armenia. Needless to say, there was lots of melodrama in the room. It seems that even after 86 years, this issue still excites people and makes them think more with their emotions than their heads. Don’t get me wrong, I think PASSION is an important ingredient in our community affairs. If we don’t have that we will gradually lose interest and quickly move on to other things.
My thoughts? Well, it’s quite difficult to talk about the Genocide as a separate issue. For me, all of the issues relating to “Armenia” and “Armenianness” are intertwined. We need to talk about institutions like the Church, the Schools we need to reflect about the culture and what has influenced it during the past century. We need to talk about Diaspora-Armenia relationship, investment (both resource and personal) in Armenia. We need to completely re-evaluate the mandates of the organisations (Shooshig can enumerate them all).
I think about this everyday. I’ve even laid out various solutions and alternative approaches… but I’m not sure the community leaders are ready to listen to my outlandish ideas.
PS: have you had a chance to read some of Ara Baliozian’s thoughts?
"Armenian by ancestry, Canadian writer Ara Baliozian was born in Athens, Greece, and educated in Venice, Italy. Widely published in English and Armenian, he has been awarded many prizes and grants for his literary work. He is a regular to many publications in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. His best-selling study THE ARMENIANS: THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE. He has been translated into French, German, Greek, Spanish, and Armenian."
Visit here for more http://www.narek.com/arabaliozian.htm
posted by Raffi N at 1:12 AM
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