I can't believe how fast this week passed! Today was another Friday, and this evening I was at our monthly family dinner night at the Armenian Center. I guess since it is April, they had a different program. Usually there is a mini-band and loud music and such... but today.... Today we were blessed with hearing classics by Gomidas and Sayat Nova while we watched slides of pictures of Armenia. Churches, monuments, streets, buildings, waterfalls, etc..... they were all there. Looking at the pictures and listening to the live music of authentic Armenian instruments (duduk, dhol) was a very "needed" experience. A small reminder that, although this month Armenians everywhere will be commemorating our great loss on 1915, we have something to celebrate. We honor the memories of those lost... but we do not forget those whom we have today.
I used to think that the Genocide is an issue that unites all Armenians. No matter what "tsi" of an Armenian you are (fransatsi, lipanantsi, sooryatsi, iraqtsi....etc) you come together when it is Genocide related. Sure, reparations and denial are a devisive issues within Armenians, but the Genocide is our most common denominator... at least as Diasporans. But now....not even THAT unity is left. Just look at the calendar section of an Armenian newspaper and you will see that there are at least 25-30 events this month which will commemorate the Genocide. They will all show the same pictures, tell the same stories..... These thoughts brought me to another important issue.... (In America) we're living in a time where violence is everywhere and just by turning on the news you would be able to hear about the countless murders that took place that day. Our children play video games (for hours) in which people bleed (quite graphically) and others die....or whose mission it is to kill. Blood, murder, violence.... it's normal. And kids grow up on that. Now, we're expecting these children to see pictures of the Armenian Genocide, and actually feel something? To them, those pictures are just another graphic image depicting dead people. They see those everyday. They are desensitized... thus being desensitized to our history and our cause. Is this our new generation? ...... perhaps the worst kind of Jermag Chart. A more modern version? .... and what is the solution?
I don't have the answers..... I guess one answer is... TEBI YERGIR! Another might be to ban your children from ever watching TV or playing video games.....
On a lighter note... the weather is beginning to warm up... but we've been getting warm days and FREEZING nights! Weird! On Sunday I'll be going to Disneyland! I haven't been there in YEARSSSSSSSSSS so i'm very excited about that! :) As far as everything else... school is back in session so it's business as usual. Our plans of taking 25 students to Armenia are well under way (Ara...remind me to ask you something) and if everything goes as planned, they will arrive in Armenia on June 28th and depart July 22nd. For some, it is a "return" to their childhood home.... for others, it will be their first Armenia experience... I think I'm more excited for them than they are! haha :)
As for me... I arrive in Armenia on June 9th! (Just 2 months away!)
TSUH! :)
I used to think that the Genocide is an issue that unites all Armenians. No matter what "tsi" of an Armenian you are (fransatsi, lipanantsi, sooryatsi, iraqtsi....etc) you come together when it is Genocide related. Sure, reparations and denial are a devisive issues within Armenians, but the Genocide is our most common denominator... at least as Diasporans. But now....not even THAT unity is left. Just look at the calendar section of an Armenian newspaper and you will see that there are at least 25-30 events this month which will commemorate the Genocide. They will all show the same pictures, tell the same stories..... These thoughts brought me to another important issue.... (In America) we're living in a time where violence is everywhere and just by turning on the news you would be able to hear about the countless murders that took place that day. Our children play video games (for hours) in which people bleed (quite graphically) and others die....or whose mission it is to kill. Blood, murder, violence.... it's normal. And kids grow up on that. Now, we're expecting these children to see pictures of the Armenian Genocide, and actually feel something? To them, those pictures are just another graphic image depicting dead people. They see those everyday. They are desensitized... thus being desensitized to our history and our cause. Is this our new generation? ...... perhaps the worst kind of Jermag Chart. A more modern version? .... and what is the solution?
I don't have the answers..... I guess one answer is... TEBI YERGIR! Another might be to ban your children from ever watching TV or playing video games.....
On a lighter note... the weather is beginning to warm up... but we've been getting warm days and FREEZING nights! Weird! On Sunday I'll be going to Disneyland! I haven't been there in YEARSSSSSSSSSS so i'm very excited about that! :) As far as everything else... school is back in session so it's business as usual. Our plans of taking 25 students to Armenia are well under way (Ara...remind me to ask you something) and if everything goes as planned, they will arrive in Armenia on June 28th and depart July 22nd. For some, it is a "return" to their childhood home.... for others, it will be their first Armenia experience... I think I'm more excited for them than they are! haha :)
As for me... I arrive in Armenia on June 9th! (Just 2 months away!)
TSUH! :)
posted by shooosh at 1:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home