Sunday, December 04, 2005
**************************************
If what I repeat is worth repeating then it isn’t repeating but reminding. For two thousand years Christians all over the world have been reciting the Lord’s Prayer. If the Good Lord needs reminding, how much more so poor mortals like us? Every day we beg Him not to lead us into temptation and that’s exactly what He does. Even so, we keep reminding Him as history keeps repeating itself ad nauseam…
*
Sometimes you are dead wrong not when you suspect you may be wrong but when the possibility of being wrong doesn’t even occur to you.
*
The most effective way to introduce democratic reforms in an authoritarian environment is by teaching our children to disagree in a civilized manner and our adults to disagree without violating someone’s fundamental human right of free speech. As long as we fail in these two enterprises, our fascists will continue to think they know better and they are fully qualified to lead us, without even suspecting for a single moment that a hundred years ago they led us straight to hell and, even as I write, history is repeating itself.
#
Monday, December 05, 2005
*************************************
QUESTIONS
**********************
By selecting and emphasizing certain aspects of reality and ignoring many others one may construct any number of theories. This may explain why philosophers, historians, theologians and even scientists have formulated many systems of belief and thought, none of which enjoys universal and unanimous support.
What are the choices open to a layman who is defenseless against the sophistries of his so-called “betters?”
What if the tree of knowledge has so far yielded nothing but poisoned fruit?
What if even the wisest among us is no better than a damn fool?
What if millions have killed and died for a belief system that has as much merit as the shadow of a non-existent black hat in a dark room?
*
A favorite political joke of mine goes something like this: A heckler at a rally interrupts the long-winded speech of a Republican presidential candidate by shouting: “My grandfather was a Democrat, my father was a Democrat, I am a Democrat!”
Whereupon the candidate demands to know: “Suppose your grandfather was a jackass and your father was a jackass, what would you be?”
“A Republican!” replies the heckler.
*
A final question: what if the most important decisions in our lives, decisions that are extensions of our identity or belief system, are based not on reason or free choice but accident of birth or geography?
#
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
***************************************
Sooner or later all blunders boomerang, and all blunders of policy or deed begin with blunders of thought.
*
When the free speech of a few is violated, the many swim in verbal crap.
*
Our propagandists like to speak of defeats that are moral victories, but not of victories that are moral defeats; and to those who think silencing dissent is a victory, may I remind them that it is also a moral catastrophe.
*
An infallible Armenian is also a self-assessed smart Armenian who knows many things except how to think for himself.
*
Where there is intolerance, there will be dissent; where there is dissent, there will be censorship; where there is censorship, there will be lies; where there are lies, there will be fear; and fear is not good policy.
#
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
**********************************
Sometimes I am tempted to affix the following message at the end of everything I write: “Please, do not insult the scribbler, he is doing his best.”
*
More often than not all Armenian arguments do is polarize the participants. On reconsideration I wish to amend my answers to all the counter-arguments and questions I have been asked so far to: “You may be right,” “I am not sure,” “I don’t know,” and “No comment.”
*
Since the Great Powers of the West have not apologized for their meddling in our affairs, in what way are they better than Turks are?
*
Because our dime-a-dozen pundits keep saying Turks are nasty folk, they are okay. But because I keep saying we are not perfect, I am guilty of both repeating myself and being wrong.
#