THE POWER OF DISCIPLINE
Aram Abrahamian

Aravot.am
06 June 06

The victory of our combined team in the 37th World Olympiad of
Chess comes to prove that Armenia, which has less than 3 millions of
population, can compete with the most developed and rich countries
and win them in some spheres. I think the main reason of it is that
our nation is gifted by talented persons.

But sometimes the plenty of those individuals is “compensated”
by bad discipline, lack of diligence, martial spirit and not strong
nerves. When those gifted persons are being succeeded in discipline,
Armenians can work wonders.

My words have no connection with what the RA President calls
“disciplined state”. When there are some hundreds persons who
depend on the “king” and whose the latter can say “guys go there,
guys come here”, it is very pleasant for the ”king” but is too far
from discipline and is too close to the Asian ”bedlam”. Fredric
Engels who is out of mode nowadays but isn’t fool at all cites with
pleasure in one of his books Napoleon’s judgment about that two
mamluks /soldiers of the Egypt sultan/ will win three Frenchmen,
the strength of 100 mamluks is equal to 100 Frenchmen, 300 Frenchmen
will win 300 mamluks and finally 1500 mamluks will be won by 1000
Frenchmen. That means as far we go from personal level as important
the degree of civilization and discipline is.

Our problem is to be a Frenchman” and not “mamluk”.

The victory of our chess combined team was of course combined. Our
guys were personally strong but there were stronger together for four
times. But the times have been changed; when Yerevan “Ararat” won the
Cup of the Soviet Union in 1973 the citizens were rejoicing together
in the streets. But today such sincere rejoicing is impossible. But
it doesn’t mean we weren’t support our team.

Speaking about the victory of the Armenian chess players it wouldn’t
be fair not to mention the merit of the chairman of Chess Federation
Serge Sargsian temporary putting aside his political activities. But
on the other hand being the best in the world in this game is also
a policy. Policy with a good meaning of that word.

–Boundary_(ID_tpLgA4mFtEhQHVYeASlZeA)–