Sunday, April 10, 2005
*******************************
SUNDAY SERMON
*******************************
It seems to me, the only way to convince the Turks to change their tune about the Genocide is to make them an offer they can’t refuse by holding a gun to their heads. But since Americans are not willing to do that, and in view of the fact that we are in no position to threaten or blackmail them, I suggest the following maneuver out of this impasse.
*
We say to them: We know you are lying and we also know you too know you are lying, but we understand. After all, political thinkers and leaders from Plato to Machiavelli, and from Hitler to Leo Strauss agree that sometimes it is necessary to lie in the interests of the nation. We understand that and we want you to understand too that we cannot simply say, let bygones be bygones.
We therefore have the following proposal: Let us for the time being postpone the resolution of our differences and cooperate in all other matters whenever cooperation is to our mutual interests. We have nothing to lose but our feud.
May we remind you that if the Ottoman Empire lasted six centuries it’s because our best brains served in its administration, our boys shed their blood in its defense, and our girls gave birth to members of its political, diplomatic, and military elites.
Let us therefore declare a moratorium on name-calling. Perhaps in time we may be able to erode our differences and to reach a settlement that will be to our mutual advantage.
Let us adopt the British motto “We have neither enemies nor friends, only interests.” But if the British model is alien to our natures, let us refer to the examples contained in the Old Testament which the Koran paraphrases.
We have there two sets of brothers, one of which (Cain and Abel) ends in tragedy for both, and the other (Joseph and his brothers) in forgiveness and consensus.
It is up to you to decide which sets of brothers we adopt as our role models. And while we are reflecting on this choice, let us ask, which course of action would be more pleasing to your “merciful and compassionate” Allah and to our Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his blood for our sins and taught us to love our enemies.
*
Oremus!
#
Monday, April 11, 2005
********************************
An Australian philosopher on the radio this morning: “Judging by our newspapers, we don’t like to think
And I reflect: Judging by our weeklies, we love to think, but only about Turks.
*
When one of our weeklies advertises or reviews a book, the chances are it will be about the massacres.
*
Whenever I read still another reference to the massacres, my hatred of Turks is enhanced; so is my image of myself as a perennial victim, and my view of the world as a cynical place populated by swindlers who care much more about money and power and less about principles, ideals, and truth.
*
The more we think about the moral failures of the world, the less time is left to reflect on our own. Hence, the tendency of some of us to believe they are la crème de la crème.
*
Philosophy in Greek means literally love of wisdom. But if I were to define philosophy today, I would say it consists in an attempt to introduce sanity in an insane world.
*
The irresistible charm of money and power: Imagine if you can a Jacqueline Kennedy or a Maria Callas falling in love and marrying an unemployed and slum-dwelling Onassis.
*
An Armenian clings to what he was taught as a child the way a drowning man is said to cling to anything, including a snake.
*
Chauvinism: When a damaged ego brags, all I hear is the rattle of bones.
*
To say we did nothing wrong is to condemn ourselves to learn nothing from our blunders. To say we did nothing right means to have a better chance to rise from the ashes.
*
A reader once wasted a thousand words to explain that I had nothing to say.
*
Julian Barnes (b. 1946), English writer: “The greatest patriotism is to tell your country when it is behaving dishonorably, foolishly, viciously.”
*
Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), Irish playwright and novelist: “There’s man all over for you, blaming on his boots the fault of his feet.”
#
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
*********************************
Unhappy is the nation whose martyrs outnumber its heroes.
*
Our generation is lost. We grew up with too much hatred and we cannot imagine a world without it. Our task is now to educate the next generation to think in terms not of hatred but of interests.
*
One of my critics agreed with me today. I must be on the wrong path.
*
There is a familiar type of Armenian who thinks he is settling a score with Turks whenever he insults a fellow Armenian or slices a watermelon.
*
Maya Angelou (b. 1928), U.S. poet: “Life is a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”
*
Jean Anouilh (1910-1987), French playwright: “Every man thinks God is on his side. The rich and powerful know He is.”
*
To be dehumanized also means allowing newspaper headlines and propaganda to shape your identity.
*
Sometimes the death of a nation is so gradual that it may easily be confused with survival.
*
It is a thankless task to inform readers that they are not as good as they think they are and that their so-called wisdom is nothing but a byproduct of blind spots, prejudices, limitations, fallacies, and misconceptions.
*
To speak of reality to individuals who live in a dream world means being the bearer of bad tidings.
*
We don’t need political leaders. We need public servants. Did we ever have them?
#
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
*******************************
One reason I don’t trust those in power is that, whenever I had the power (an extremely rare occurrence that may have happened once or twice in my life), I behaved as ruthlessly as a Turk. I consider myself a more or less harmless person but I shiver to think what would happen if some day I acquired the power of, say, a sultan or a Talaat.
*
There are many Armenians who would like to say what I have been saying but they keep their peace because they don’t relish the prospect of being verbally abused by their fellow Armenians.
*
To have a more balanced view of ourselves, we must also see as others see us, and by others, I don’t just mean friends but adversaries. An Armenian who believes only in the judgment of Armenophiles is no different from a Turk who believes only in Turcophiles.
*
When I wrote what they expected to read, they called me a genius. When I wrote what must be said, I acquired the status of a non-person. When they called me a genius, I was not flattered; and as a non-person today I am more than ever aware of my personhood.
*
It is better to fail in a moral enterprise than to succeed in an immoral one.
*
Progress: For a number of years I worked for philistines; now, I am only insulted by them.
#