Vahe H Apelian
The other day a friend wrote in Armenian, expressing his concerns the way to concerns the way he perceives the PM Nikol Pachinyan is leading the country, wondering that “we cannot turn into another Japan, a resurrected state after a thousand defeats.”
His analogy made me reflective because I believe that we are in a state of profound change. The Americans won the war militarily but more significantly in a short period of time fundamentally changed the age-old Japanese culture centered upon imperial order and system and turned it into a democratic one. The Americans humanized their emperor, who was a living deity, in their Shinto religion and commanded the absolute submission of the Japanese as their manifestation of their absolute patriotic nationalism and obedience to the higher social order in their social hierarchy. It is said when the emperor addressed the Japanese after their surrender, the whole country came to standstill. Tt was the first time that the Japanese heard their emperor speak. Throughout his announcement the country stood in awe and in in a state of shock . Surely, such profound change should not have been easy for the Japanese, especially the older generation.
The disastrous 44-day second Artsakh war, was a defeat the like of which we had not experienced in our modern history, although our history has never been one of military successes or conquests. We do not have a victor imposing its order upon us, but we have to deal with the post war realities that will change us.
For start, the revelations of the extent of the corruption that had been endemic among the leadership and their social circles will change our perceptions, hence us in fundamental ways.
To point out how profound that change may be let me state that our state emblem or the coat of arm and our national hymn may even change as we question the reality of what stood behind the facade. It is obvious that the National Emblem appears not be sacrosanct anymore. The PM even appeared to ridicule the depiction. But he was not the first to ridicule the coat of arms. I had read before, way back, when it was accepted as the third republic's coat of arms. Upon the decision, I remember the ARF Bureau issued a ruling to have the coat of arms removed from the official letterheads after seventy years of upholding it there. The circular said that it has now returned to its rightful owner. I was moved when I heard that circular read.
Lately I have been hearing more the Soviet Armenia hymn with changed lyrics being played on line. I admit I like it. Some are even promoting it as the national anthem of Armenia. The U.S. of America has its hymn but it also has popular songs that are no less patriotic and often sung such as "God Bless of America", which according to Wikipedia, has become the unofficial national anthem of the United States. Another no less popular is “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies”, which is popularly known as “America the Beautiful.” It will not far-fetched to expect that the music of Soviet Armenia hymn composed by Aram Khatchadourian, with revised wording may become if not the hymn, but as popular as the current hymn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XzrI25wWgI
I had noted the following in my blog regarding the PM’s visit to Ankara to attend the Inauguration of the Turkish president elect Erdogan. I quote: “But there is more that is going on here, much more than the PM’s diplomatic visit. IT also has nothing to do with the diplomatic visit for IT will be going on with the same pace or vigor, even if the PM had not paid a diplomatic visit.
We are being tested as never before at least since 1915. We are in a process of change. I quote Anatole France: " All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of our-selves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another!. We are dying for one life to enter another and that life will be as good and as bad as we make it. "
No, it is not Nikol Pachinyan who is changing Armenia. He has successfully tapped in latent change that has been brewing. That is what successful politicians or political leaders do. Successfully tap in brewing sentiments and lead.
We have to be cognizant of the necessity to confront and adapt to the inevitable change. Diaspora and Armenia are bound to perceive things differently. This is the time to stand on one’s principle and make a case for it. Blaming the messengers will not help. Making a case may temper the change or shape it. It is the most we can achieve being confronted by the inevitable change. Let us remind to ourselves that the only thing that does not change, is change itself.
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