Well said, Son!

Nar (in the middle) with friends in Armenia.

My son is a senior at an Armenian school. He spent the summer of 2010 interning for an NGO in Armenia.

At an event held at his school on November 19th to raise money for Armenia. He was, as it is customary with observant students, given the stage to say something about Armenia.

There is, unfortunately, not much room for discussions in Armenian school when it comes to the failings of Armenia, but on this day, he delivered what was his deep thoughts about the Armenia that he saw and experienced as a 17 year old. Here’s the speech:


Good evening.

I’m Nar Gulvartian, and this summer I spent five weeks working in Yerevan.

We are gathered here tonight to raise money for Armenia, and that’s a good cause. I know that Armenia needs us, and I am glad that we can reach out and help. But I also realize, from experience, how much we need a successful and inspiring Armenia for the purpose of our identity, and what we call azkabahbanoum.

Most of you know Yerevan for its scenic postcard attractions – occasional Soviet structures once delicately designed and arranged by the genius Alexander Tamanyan- Hanrabedoutian Hrabarag, the Opera, and Cascade, which is home to the statue of the charming Sev Gadou and the fat, naked Sbarabed.

But I know another Armenia. This summer, I discovered that "other" Armenia.

One day, off from work, I decided to take the subway. I had no idea where I was headed. I just thought I would hop on and hop off at the very last station, wherever that may take me.

In Yerevan getting lost is priceless. The statues of famous Armenians around the city make for graceful walks of peace and contemplation. You can literally feel the energy, the brain power, and the greatness of our people. Mikael Nalbandian’s statue happens to be my personal favorite. It has so much poise.

So, off the subway, journal notebook in hand, I ended up in a place called Garegin Nzhdeh Hrabarag. I emerged from the darkness of the subway into daylight, hoping to find more of the “pink” city.

What a shock!

There are places in Yerevan – yes, Yerevan, the city we know to be postcard perfect – that remind me of the slums of Mumbai, India- drab, dilapidated, ill-kept residential neighborhoods at the edge of city lines, not too far from the city center. People live there without hope, on the brink of society – cynicism brooding from their faces. As I walked the streets, I could occasionally hear at the tip of my ear: “Arra, inch es anoum es degh.”

I will never forget the face of the woman selling dried daisies in a dusty corner of a treeless street. The sun soaking her face, the heat wetting her hair. Her entire inventory probably added up to no more than $1 in value. That’s her living I thought… just a dollar a day. That’s her reality and sadly that is the "new" Armenia. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is another face of Armenia we must come to know and understand.

Armenia needs to change. I believe that we must change Armenia for the sake of the suffering majority: the woman selling daisies and all others like her.

I have no reservations about what I want: I want a better Armenia, one that is compassionate towards every Armenian on the face of this earth; an Armenia that invites and accommodates ideas, patriots, investors, professionals, innovators, and scholars.

I want my people to feel proud every time the name Hayasdan is mentioned.

Just think about it and remember... your “no” to corruption counts!


Well said, Son!

Armeens Apostolische Kerk

The Armenian community of Los Angeles is about to get a big new church on a freeway, the 5 Interstate to be exact. I say new, because there’s already a church on a freeway (the 101). That one is white. The new one is red, but not to be confused with the red Armenian church of Fresno.

These are testing times for the Armenian nation, particularly for far-flung communities. Those who are fortunate to live in active communities are blessed by the vibrancy of Armenian self-preservation. The building of a big new church is momentous, but also an occasion for contemplation, as the story I am about to tell will attest.

Amsterdam is hardly an appropriate venue for the story of a church. The city is a victim of its own success. Hollanders- rich and prosperous - seem to have not much to debate these days, except for issues of human pleasure, especially the illegal kind. They are willing to first legislate, and then liberate everything and anything: sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. I wonder, doesn’t mankind have more important things to liberate? I guess not. When you got the best, you become like the rest!

Amsterdam is also home to a sizeable Armenian community. An influx of immigrants from religious persecutions, political upheavals, and civil wars has gathered them from Turkey, Iran and Lebanon. Also, there’s hardly a big city in Europe nowadays that does not count a good number of hayastantzis in it. Add them to the fray, and you get an Armenian community much like all others: a mish-mash of dialects and attitudes loosely structured around a church.

That’s where my story begins.

Armeens Apostolische Kerk, the Armenian Apostolic Church of Amsterdam, Soorp Hoki (Holy Spirit) was built in 1715, at a time when Holland was at the height of its reach around the world. The Dutch merchant navy ruled the waves, and Holland controlled the trade routes all the way from Indonesia to the capitals of Europe, and a resourceful class of Armenian merchants from the Ottoman and Persian Empires played a pivotal role in moving pearls, diamonds, rugs, textile and spices between continents as early as the sixteenth century.

A parallel story had developed with another merchant class of Armenians- Those who had played an equally important role in the acquisition and foundation of the Mekhitarist monastery on the island of San Lazaro in Venice. Incidentally, those were Armenians of the Catholic denomination. Who knows, they may have been in a competition with the founders of Soorp Hoki at the time. For all we know, the different groups may have looked at the two churches as “theirs” and “ours”, much the same way Armenians react to two churches to this day.

By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Armenian church of Amsterdam was closed down, and eventually sold. Wars and conflicts, particularly the blockade of Holland during the Napoleonic Wars had taken its toll on the Armenian merchant class that thrived on the free movement of goods across the world. The emergence of the British Empire and English trading companies has resulted in further loss of economic power of the Armenian community of Amsterdam.

I found myself in Amsterdam in the mid 80’s, as a traveler between continents. I visited the church escorted by a bolsahye whom I had met by chance roaming one of the city squares. When two Armenians meet anywhere in the world, they… well, they explore the local church I guess! The community had obviously grown, as Armenians had once again moved to Amsterdam and eventually repurchased the same church. A remarkable story, and a mark of pride and joy.

The church was located on a canal in the heart of the old city. I was impressed by the interior- clear, thick, white walls, covered with beautiful hand-painted murals. A small khoran, and original tinted glass windows. Nothing grandiose, simply small, intimate, and beautiful. A true gem oozing with history. I could almost feel the footsteps of past generations of Armenians walking its isles. When done touring, my guide then walked me through (and past) the must-see Red Light district to meet with other Armenians for a “Who are you”, “Where were you born” type of conversation. That’s Amsterdam for you!

I was again in Amsterdam last month, this time with my family. I made a point to take them to see the small Armenian church on the canal. A phone call by the hotel concierge was fruitless, as we were told that the church does not accept visitors. I thought that an Armenian doesn’t need an invitation to visit his own church- so first thing in the morning, I gathered my family, hailed a cab and headed to Krom Boomssloot 22.

There it was, the white husky building, three stories high, located (as I remembered) on a quiet tree-lined street right on the canal.

Knock on the door. No answer.

Knock again, still no answer. Something was not right... as it turned out that it wasn’t.

Luckily, Amsterdam is full of friendly next-door neighbors willing to help. This one was a wine merchant by the entrance to the next building. I asked if the Armenian church was open. He said, “Ya, but the building is not good”. “What do you mean it’s not good?” I asked. “Well, it’s sinking. It’s sinking into the canal”. He demonstrated “sinking” by holding his palms downward in an up-and-down motion.

When asked if mass was being held on Sundays, the answer was an emphatic “No”.

I had no words when I met my family outside. I just shook my head, meaning “No, it’s not open”. Is this what we have to deal with? I thought. Another national treasure condemned to be abandoned, and forgotten? I’m sure it too was built by people with the best of Armenian intentions, alas no one left to save their dream.

Back in Los Angeles, I cannot help but think about the small church on the canal as I drive past the big church on the freeway. Let’s not forget the past; we may end up living it again… much, much (much) sooner than three hundred years from now.

I do not wish to dismissively shake my head about an Armenian church again. It hurts too much!

Dear Mom

My mother Sonia with her twins, ages 3

I’m gasping for words on this day, the day I’m expected to be at my best to say something about the heart, from the heart, and to thank my mother on Mother’s Day. Thoughts abide… nothing but good thoughts, I assure you. Graceful thoughts of a grateful son.

It must be care and nurturing that I want to thank her for, guidance and ideas as well; for bidding me farewell at times and welcoming me home all the time, and for inspiring me to dream… Armenian dreams, in the colors and sounds of the world. I must not leave out her mentorship, scholarship and advice, or the caution and protection rendered. But the noblest of them all has to be love, endless and unconditional.

For someone who rarely misses out on words… I am short on them today. Emotions overwhelm me.
Allow me to instead have the poet of my people say it… as I would have wanted it said- mildly and gently.

A MOTHER’S HEART
By Avedik Issahakian

There is an old tale
About a boy
An only son
Who fell in love with a lass.

“You don’t love me,
You never did,” said she to him.
“But if you do, go then
And fetch me your mother’s heart.”

Downcast and distraught
The boy walked off
And after shedding copious tears
Came back to his love.

The girl was angry
When she saw him thus
And said, “Don’t you dare come back again
Without your mother’s heart.”

The boy went and killed
A mountain roe deer
And offered its heart
To the one he adored.

But again she was angry
And said, “Get out of my sight.
I told you what I want
Is your mother’s heart.”

The boy went and killed
His mother, and as he ran
With her heart in his hand
He slipped and fell.

"My dear child,
My poor child,”
Cried the mother’s heart,
“Did you hurt yourself?”

Happy Mother’s Day to all, and to one of the brightest of them all: the mother of mine.

Reflections on April 24

The reasons why I’m convinced that I must persist with full awareness of the Armenian Genocide are rooted in my education, upbringing, and convictions. I would like to share some of them with you.

1- Reason one is because Prof. Vahakn Dadrian says so. The proofs of premeditation, intent to destroy, organization and execution of the Genocide are in his books, all based on archival documents. Turks are yet to produce a single evidence to prove their own twisted version of Ottoman deeds. Sadly, the fifth element to any crime in the cover-up, and more proofs are in documents hidden in storages by the Turkish government to this day. No one would love to get his hands on them more than Dadrian himself.

2- Turkey is reason number two. The more they lie, the more the world is determined to keep on asking them “the” question over and over again. (Note CNN’s last interview with Turkish PM Erdogan, where the question of Genocide came up persistently during a brief 10 minute-long interview).
Turkish illusions of grandeur and regional superiority is a dangerous thing, and nothing serves them better that to face their own past, and be reminded by each line of questioning that they are not so great after all. The world will be a better place if Turkey was to calm down, look back, settle the affairs of the past, negotiate its place in the region, and only then venture out with the resemblance of founded claims to power.

3- Erdogan, Gul and Davutoglu are reason number three- they are gung-ho to explain to the civilized world, that what happened in Turkey between 1915-1921 was a massacre, and not a genocide (“we do not agree to this G word”, they keep saying). They leave me no choice but to explain to them a comparative study on mass killings: A massacre is actually what happened in America during depression-era Chicago in 1929, when the notorious mobster Al Capone gunned down mere six (6) goons of an opposing gang in what became to be known as the St. Valentine’s Day …Massacre. That was a massacre! Also note that in 2004 the President of the United States referred to the killings in Darfur as… genocide, right when the deaths from that conflict had reached not the 1.5 million mark, but rather a much lower three hundred thousand mark. Now you make the connections.

4- Countries around the world are researching the history of man’s cruelty towards man and… finding it, in the Armenian Genocide. Many others will permit the same questions, and come to answers where the truth is. As in Switzerland, other countries too will join the ranks of civilized societies that will set into law the denial of the Armenian Genocide as a crime, and deniers as criminals.

5- The Genocide is part of the Armenian identity. We didn’t ask for it, it fell upon us. Identity is the basis upon which people design their own self-preservation. In our case, the Genocide is in the center of it.
We had to live with the Genocide for 95 years, we had no choice. And frankly the call to “Move on with it” is not for politicians, businessmen or journalists to make. Those who promote that line of thinking are claiming for themselves a piece of luxury that they do not own. Individuals may make personal choices; nation on the other hand, can act only upon the collective experience, at least democratic ones do.

6- It’s the neighborhood dude. The leaders of Turkey are acting as if their country appeared on the world stage one day where there was no Armenia, and no Armenians or stories of Armenians in their eastern provinces. Not so. The story of Armenians and Turkey is not over yet. Our thousand-years-old dealings with each other have been disrupted and adulterated, but not eliminated. Armenians will feature in many vital Turkish issues and dealings in years to come, and Armenian demands will constantly be raised, sometimes by multitudes, other times by mere solitary voices. Turkey will choose to neglect, reject or abandon, and we already know that. We will be back another time to continue where we left off. We have the long view of history, after all we survived 600 years of Ottoman misery, and we learned a thing or two about enduring them.

7- As long as Turkey pursues a policy of denial, Genocide recognition remains Armenia’s primary case for security vis-a-vis Turkey. The day Armenia relinquishes calls for human rights and Genocide recognition is the day Armenia will cease to value itself as a full nation. All legitimate nations with their unique place in the present arrangement of things, and a view of their future learn and grown from their own past. That’s the enduring trait of all ancient civilizations, and ours is not different.
The Genocide as a human rights issue is Turkey’s burden, and Armenia’s salvation. Without it neither country will possess the future that they aspire to, independently of each other or together.

8- The youth inspire me, and give me hope. Attend any current events function, and you will see them and meet them. Educated, savvy and eloquent, with no inhibitions to challenge the establishment, to ask questions, rally a crowd, or carry the message. These are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the survivor generation, and the pursuit of “the cause” is theirs. I have full confidence in them. Their determination is contagious, and in time more will join them from an emerging young educated class of Armenia. It is a matter of time.

9- For a significant part of the last 95 years V. Dadrian, as well as R. Hovannisian, P. Balakian and others have done immensely valuable work in documenting the Genocide, yet historians have barely entered the realm of the 2 most extensive archives not yet exposed: Turkish and German. There’s work to be done.

10- It’s personal. You bet it is!
I am intermittently reminded of my place in the world and a responsibility that comes to a descendant of the Genocide generation- by my grandfather Mesrob Chinchinian of Marash and my grandmother Mari Manoushagian of Aintab; and my paternal grandparents Artin Gulvartian, who died on the evacuation route from Hajin to Adana, and his young wife Teshgouhi Saghdasarian who lamented his untimely death for the rest of her life.

I rest my case!

Start Talking!

We, Armenians in Los Angeles, have been basking in an illusionary image of ourselves for quite some time. We have been acting carelessly as happy-go-lucky chums at the expense of a mirage of economic prosperity without paying attention to the responsibilities that inevitably came with it. We can do something about it- not as much as to solve problems, but to devise a “wish list” or a “must do list”- things that will improve our value and significance as a community.


It is time to change course, and to start talking. This task is entrusted to the pillar institutions of our society: Traditionally, the goosagtsutunes (politicos), the church, newspapers, schools, and the intellectual elite.

Fifteen years of a laissez-faire attitude, has blurred the role of these pillar institutions. As a result, unexpected outsiders have moved into traditional roles expected of others to address and perform, thus confusing the outcome, and weakening our aim to grab one voice from a position of cooperation.

While things seem to be okay from the outset, in reality we face serious problems: Loss of vibrant intellectual discourse, diminishing spirituality in the religious context, schools in crisis, the disappearance of Armenian-language literary expression and output, and a forgetfulness about what to do for the youth, especially for those between the ages of 22 and 32 (I call them, “the forgotten”).

It will be difficult to find solutions, but it would be wise to at least start talking. Talk about the problems; talk with the people who have assumed the role to provide solutions. They are the men and women in charge of the pillar institutions that past generations have laboriously created, organized or financed for the purpose of our preservation and survival.

If left to a discussion, many people can come up with as many pillar institutions that they each deem more important in the larger agenda. I will take up only four of them for the purpose of this column.

Political parties have proven their ability to organize large number of people around projects, programs and activities, Genocide remembrance and recognition as one of the most important of them. But it takes leaders (especially the ones at the top of the pyramid) with special character to rally a wide consensus, by sharing the responsibilities and the rewards for real victory. Collective effort can exponentially magnify the results if activists sat down to talk about a plan which, I’m sure, does not differ from the other's: How to get the message to the US Congress; how to gear Armenia’s foreign and domestic policies towards Armenocentric aims; how to address problems afflicting the youth; and of course, the Genocide and how to check on a Turkey-gone-wild with denial.

Alas our political entities are stuck in rhetoric rooted in old cold war suspicions, some of which are directed against each other. The cold war ended twenty years ago, and it’s time for change. Meet with each other regularly, and talk incessantly, to draw out new action plans for success. Act, and claim the legitimacy as “the” voice of all the people.

The Church remains stuck in an artificial “one-ship-two-captain” situation (The ship is very small, mind you, and very fragile), since the days of caustic cold war era divisions which the world has since resolved and forgotten… except for us Armenians (When we fight, we fight real goooood!). Territorialism is exhausting and devouring the communities and it’s sad to even imagine what we should be doing instead.

I celebrate the success of the Armenian Church, not by the physical number of churches across the American landscape, but rather by the declining number of Armenians in prisons, or simply by the number of American-born young men who choose the church as their career path. The business of religion is not a zero sum game; the loss of one is not gain to another. Faith and prayer is not a matter of competition, and they are not commodities sold out of shops. It is a matter of laborious teaching, role-modeling and a sense of mission. It’s hard and serious work.

I hope that the clergy of all persuasions will always gather to talk about what is worthy of discussion: An agreement to teach faith, spirituality, good citizenship, and Armenianess in its various forms and shapes- marriage and family, language, customs and traditions, church history, saints, and the sublime art of praying and paying attention to the badarak.

Armenian Schools are in difficulty, and they are losing supporters and numbers. The cause that worries me most is not financial or related to the economy. We are facing a loss of faith in Armenian schools brought about by a combination of changing popular priorities during a period of financial prosperity, and new unchallenged perceptions as to what is necessary to bring up a child as an Armenian.

While families are making drastic decisions about the place of organized Armenian education in their children’s lives, the schools themselves are still debating who is the ideal (dibar) graduate of an Armenian school. What is the new message from the schools? Is it loud enough? Is it clear enough?

The time for principals of Armenian schools to meet, and to talk is now! It is absolutely essential that a common plan be devised immediately. Come up with a revised mission statement and then deliver. The failure of even one school is the failure of Armenian education as the last remaining potent experiment of the self-preservation process of our times.

Academics is a term in reference to the collective work done by historians, researchers and intellectuals to document the story of the Armenian people, Genocide historiography being the most contemporary and important. While too much emphasis is placed on politicians to “teach the Turks a lesson in history”, in reality the fight for Genocide recognition is won by the work of the intellectual elite.

Academicians are the least accessible segment of the pillar institutions. They are men and women whose work is above and beyond the reach of the general population, and for good reason. But, that doesn’t mean that they can be insulated from the needs of the Armenian community and people. Therefore, I can only hope that they meet regularly, and talk about their work and the work of all other researchers; to advance the career of young scholars- to promote them in institutions of higher learning with access to a forum for discussions and publications. I hope that a new generation will soon replace those who must pave the path for the young to continue the most important work of our (and the next) generation.

I feel that there is a slimmer of hope these days. Lately groups have been forming across LA, to meet and discuss all issues that pertain to our interests in the world at this particular time in history- There is now talk where there was none before, and I am hopeful. The purpose, I think, is to eventually draw out a list of what the people want, need and demand. But for the time being the message is very simple: Start talking!

In time, I expect more will join the discussions in many more small (formal, organized of otherwise) groups across all communities. I hope everyone- journalists, artists, politicos, the clergy, educators entrepreneurs and academicians alike- will join… and start talking!

Armenia Fails to Unite

The Armenian Diaspora has been in a state of disunity for the most part of the last 100 years. Disunity or the lack of unity does not exist on its own, nor for its own sake- it is almost always as a result of outside interferences. In other words enemies do their deed, and succeed.

The Diaspora has been, and still is, divided- The reason is Armenia.

The First Republic (1918-1921) was the beginning of a long, arduous, and tedious division, which led immediately after its collapse to the Second Republic (Soviet Armenia, 1921-1991) and a long period of disarray in communities everywhere from Worcester, Massachusetts to Fresno, California. A life of detest and hate for entire generations over accusations of “bloody Bolshevik”, “traitor”, “brown-shirt fascist”, and other unpleasant name-callings. In Lebanon, Armenians gunned each other down in disputes over the definition of love for Armenia; a high-ranking clergyman was assassinated at the altar in America; and worst of all, a segment of Armenians wished, in 1942 during WWII, for the Nazis to defeat the Soviets in Stalingrad, to then proceed southward to “liberate Armenia”(yeah right!). Mind you, Soviet Armenia lasted until 1991, irrespective of the silly and futile commotions of Armenians from outside.

The collapse of the Soviet Union ushered the Third Republic (1991-present), and an independent Armenia that continues to be the source of disputes and divisions amongst Armenians everywhere to this day. A hundred years later, after wars and Genocide, calamities and hardships… Armenia continues to engage, as well as divide us with equal ferocity.

In their days, the leadership of Soviet Armenia sat back, watched and at times took advantage of the duality, often playing one camp against the other. The leaders of modern-day Armenia have been doing the same since 1991. They waste no time to accuse us of being chronically divided and incapable of growing up and maturing politically, or lacking the “nationhood mindset” (whatever that means), while they themselves fail to suggest solutions to the very problems that they identify. Men in leadership positions have failed miserably- to guide us, to inspire us, and help us solidify our identity and unravel the meaning of our existence.

Armenia has abandoned its own Diaspora to the point that during the lead-up to the Protocols President Sargsyan first implied, and then implemented a path for the Republic of Armenian that did not feature the Diaspora in it. A flagrant act of polarization. Imagine appeasing to the Turks, at the expense of alienating your own- If that’s sophisticated politicking (as the government of Armenia probably thinks), then I’d like to redefine naiveté.

The Genocide, the very defining element of the Diaspora’s identity was agreed to become a point of discussion with Turkish (turk oghlu turk) historians, the very same people who fabricated Turkey’s denial package against the Genocide for 95 years. Imagine that!

Armenia and Turkey make strange bedfellows, as the turn of events after the signing of the 10/10 Protocols proved: Armenia bargained away the proofs of the Genocide, which then Turkey pocketed, and proceeded to demand more- They now want Karabagh. It would have helped if Yerevan listened to the wisdom of historians, lawmakers and academicians of genocide studies: Not to negotiate with the perpetrator of genocide, in the absence of willingness to admit. While Turkey proceeded by the adage “What’s ours is ours, what’s yours is negotiable”, Armenia showed readiness to sit at a negotiating table without the facts of the Genocide by its side, or Armenian claims of land and calls for human rights. That’s what happens when you give up your moral high ground.

Some pundits have applauded President Sargsyan’s speech at the “renowned” Chatham House in London two weeks ago. I was not impressed. Political bold-face is not well received historically in the long run. I doubt that Sargsyan was under the impression that his speech would actually tilt British and European opinion about Turkey’s bloated ambitions for regional supremacy; the legitimacy of the Karabagh movement, or even the benefits of Turkey’s recognition of the Genocide to Europe. He should know better that these are issues imbedded in various foreign national interests, way beyond the capacity of Armenia to influence. But what I noticed instead, was a hint of withdrawal from the insult he leveled against the Diaspora when, in the thick of his self-inflicted enthusiasm to sign the Protocols, he blatantly brushed off his critics as cretins without his understanding of globalization (he then proceeded to lecture us for hours on end). If wise diplomacy expects of leaders to posses the skill to keep friends (the Diaspora) close, and enemies (Turkey) closer, then the Sargsyan administration failed miserably. They neither made friends, nor influenced people. As a result of the Protocols, Turkey has already shifted the discussion to the Genocide as an Armenian exaggeration, and Karabagh as a case of foreign aggression. There’s no more talk of Armenia’s right to survive and prosper. What happened to the benefits of open borders, free commerce and cheap food-stuff? Does Yerevan know what to do?

I’m often caught in arguments these days, sometimes with good friends that I do not want to offend. The topic of disputes is always Armenia (as it has been for generations), and I’m sick of it. Many others have already quit the topic; thousands are quitting their adherence to Armenian community affairs and Armenia itself. We are magnificently divided, and the loss is Armenia’s! Does Yerevan care?

Today in the Diaspora, desperate columnists are penning articles suggesting plans to organize it around an elected representative body, and Yerevan is absent from the discussion. A month ago, the Diaspora fell into a dispute over the selection of a representative group of delegates that were to meet with the U.S. State Department, while Yerevan sat back and let the arguments pan out for all to see. Yerevan is in the process, much like its communist predecessors, of compiling “a list” of Diaspora Armenians who are “pro-protocol”, thus intentionally separating the people of the Diaspora as Hyrenasers (those who love Armenia, i.e. pro-Sargsyan), or Entimateers (those who oppose). Some who once stood by Armenia are quickly labeled as undesirables, if they voice anger towards the many losses against the few gains that Armenia has made over the last few years. Reaching out, solving (internal) problems, and expanding grand projects make great leaders. That, Mr. Sargsyan, is the purpose of the presidency!

If we can’t get our act together, then next time the Karabagh issue comes up again (and it will), an ill-governed, weakened Armenian nation, isolated from its own people (inside and outside its borders), will have no choice but to give in… without a fight. Perhaps, the only advantage to having a karabaghtzi running Armenia at that time is to let him deal with the mess himself. Until then, I’d like to remind them all that they are just another group gathered around Mother Armenia, much like any other Diaspora group from anywhere outside of the borders of Armenia… some thousands, others few hundred miles away.

No one owns the moral authority to pass judgment on other groups. But unfortunately Armenia will, and the division will continue… for another 100 years!

Shimer College

I’m about to take you on a whirling tour of one of the most original places in America. A place for ideas and a gathering place of thinkers and curious minds. An institution of learning, and a community of scholars: Shimer College.

A four-year liberal arts college located in Chicago, known for its distinctive “Great Books” curriculum, and total student body of less than 100 students, Shimer College is obviously not for everyone. But for students who like to read, and think, and talk about what they read, then it is heaven on earth. It is a place for people who are challenged by the process of critical thinking through the reading and study of the world’s most celebrated literary classics, a collection known as the “Great Books”.

The Great Books curriculum comprises of the study of works- mainly humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences- that have stood the test of time, and have lasting effects upon society. By the time students graduate Shimer they would have studied math, lab sciences, music and lots of philosophy, history and literature (the backbone of liberal arts education). In the process, they would have read classic works by more than 100 authors whose work span 3000 years of western culture and civilization.

Western civilization stems from the writings of men who have thought, and recorded their thoughts in books that have come to form the foundation of occidental human history. Great thinkers throughout history have distinguished themselves, first and foremost, by the notion that questions are more important than answers to start the process of exploration. The resulting books are, therefore, timeless and timely- they shed light on persisting questions of human existence to change minds, move hearts, and touch the spirit. With that in mind, Shimer students maneuver through a curriculum of masterpieces in literature, science, mathematics, philosophy and dig themselves in the works of Plato, Dante Alighieri, Thomas More, Gustave Flaubert, Blaise Pascal and Sigmund Freud.

Since all ideas and innovations trace their roots to the Greeks , then why not retract, say, philosophy, from its recorded roots (Aristotle and Plutarch), and continue on towards the modern era to Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre, amongst others. Therefore Shimer students learn facts and ideas by the process with which they evolved throughout history. The Great Books are read in the chronological order, beginning with ancient Greeks, and culminating in modern time.

There are no textbooks used, and there are no lectures or lecture halls at Shimer College. Books are the teachers (Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Dostoevsky and others). Discussions are driven by the students, and professors are simply facilitators of Socratic discussions. There are no class lectures; instead, the students meet together with faculty members to explore the books being read. The goal is not to find the “right” answer (as there may never be one), but rather to continue the exploration of ideas, observations, and conflicting opinions. Not knowing the answer is not the problem then, but not wanting to hear the views and opinions of others becomes the problem. Stubborn insistence based on personal beliefs or ideology will not suffice when it comes to a discussion of Charles Darwin and his “The Origin of Species”, or Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”.

Part of the learning process is acknowledging intellectual failings- a rarity nowadays, in our fast-paced, I-know-it-all, take-no-hostages scheme of things. What is necessary is the ability to listen and engage in discussions, to work as a team towards intellectual bliss- that unique place in our society where civility, rationality and opinionated discourse meet, in a room perhaps, to “take off their hats” as they say, and spend quality time as equals, together, around a table to do what distinguishes humans from the rest… think!

The intense 2 or 3 hour-long classes don’t seem to bother students at Shimer College. Computers are relatively rare (so is computer research, multiple choice question exams and grades). There are no majors and no departments, all students follow the same program and get the same degree. Science labs recreate the experiments that have been performed by the founders of science (Rene Descartes, Isaac Newton, Antoine Lavoisier, Michael Faraday and others). Curiosity, reasoning, and the ability to deduct are highly valued, but everything is secondary to the original text or work: of the Greek philosophers, historians and mathematicians- Homer, Sophocles, Euclid; the Renaissance thinkers- Machiavelli, Copernicus; the “Big Three” of French theatre- Moliere, Racine, Corneille; the musical geniuses- Beethoven, Schubert, Bach and Stravinsky; and, finally, the great minds of the 20th Century- George Santayana, Lenin and Albert Einstein. I would imagine that after Einstein nothing seems all that hard to decipher. The beauty of it all is that all Shimer teachers return the next year to do it all over again- Chaucer, Cervantes, Tolstoy, de Tocqueville, Balzac and others. They never age, never tire, and never retire.

By the time Shimer students graduate, they are more articulate, and hopefully, more thoughtful, and less interested in appearing smart than in becoming smart. “ Smart” doesn’t mean being able to devise weapons of destruction and war, or instruments of financial deception, as the ones Wall Street voodoos and bankers concocted not long ago to rob billions of dollars of other people’s hard-earned money. Actually, smart is being able to discern what is good (as good medical cures, good ideas, a good investment, good music etc) and what is not, the meaning of life, the purpose of good government, the blessings of prosperity and the necessity of peace.

It is unfortunate that people of wealth and power rarely recognize that it is the work of the thinkers, writers, and intellectuals that create the very ambiance in societies where their wealth and power is best protected and safeguarded these days. There can be no civil society without thinkers, and a nation without thinkers is bound to insignificance and irrelevance. Gadgets, games and excesses have diminished the value of thought these days. There are simply less people willing to learn, or capable of thinking and writing. I’m of the opinion that, not thinking is, well, unthinkable!

In the final analysis, it all comes down to the mission statement of Shimer College, and other liberal arts colleges around America: Good living is about a deepened capacity for reflective thought, an appreciation of the persisting questions of human existence, an abiding love of serious conversation, and a lasting love of inquiry.

Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, nothing beats a quiet Sunday afternoon with a book by William Wordsworth, and a dab of Mozart in the background. Cheers!