EUROPEAN LESSONS

"HAYOTS ASHKHARH" Daily Newspaper
8 Nov 07
Armenia

Let’s learn to respect ourselves

Council of Europe Secretary General Tarry Davis’ recent visit to
Yerevan, his press conference and lecture at the University made a
very unpleasant impression in general.

This was first of all because of his instructive manner of speaking,
which Mr. Davis did not even try to conceal. As if the white-skinned
man had visited the aborigines to see how the latter have learned
the European lessons. So, let me see how you are doing, sirs!

We like to speak about being the historical bearers of European
values in the region and a member of the European family; we like to
say that we are building the country in compliance with the European
standards etc.

That’s to say, we seem to be the truest Europeans at first sight.

But as a matter of fact, we and the Europeans are different. And that
difference is manifested in everything, including both the everyday
behavior and the political traditions. So, when they say that Armenia
forms part of the European civilization, such truth does, nonetheless,
contain an element of exaggeration.

And the skin color has absolutely nothing to do at this point.

The inhabitants of the Southern part of Spain and Italy, for instance,
are obviously more dark-skinned than the inhabitants of the Northern
regions of China and Japan. By the way, according to the "Loushan
scale", a standard accepted in anthropology, the skin color is divided
into 32 shades.

Number 1 and 2 refer to the albinos; the normal skin of the lightest
color is number 3, which is first of all common in Scandinavia and then
among the Evens and the Evenks, tribes living in Siberia. The latter
are not, however, classified among white-skinned people. Number 32,
i.e. the absolute black color is, in more or less pure form, common
only among the peoples of Southern Sudan, living nearby the river Nile,
i.e. the Shilluks, the Nuers and the Annuaks.

Nevertheless, when the Europeans visiting our regions say that "we
form part of the European civilization", this expression sounds like
a kind of haughty "tap on the shoulder"; just make efforts and this
will be recorded to your benefit! And ours, in their turn, are trying
to show how they are making efforts.

However, we they will accept us in Europe as their own people, be
it on the level of everyday life or in politics. We do not mean the
Armenians living, for example, in France from generation to generation;
we mean the people living in Armenia.

To snack one’s lips saying, "Oh, Khackhars (cross-stones), oh, the
first Christians state! Oh, Khachatryan – well, this is welcome. But
snacking will remain on the level of snacking; nothing more.

Whereas Europe itself is gradually dying. It lives a sweet life
(dolche vita) for the time being, but in the 21st century we will
eyewitness the decline of Europe, the de facto elimination of the
Western peoples who ruled over the whole world in the 19th and 20th
centuries. It is astonishing. In 1950, the white-skinned people of
the West formed 35 per cent of the world’s population. In 1960 they
formed 20 per cent. Presently, they form 16 percent and in the middle
of the 21st century their number will decrease to 10 per cent. And
this 10 per cent will be the Earth’s most elderly population.

What if we try and give up the attempts of imitating everything that
is European? Not in a sense that we have to fall to the bosom of
barbarism ostentatiously and build an Asian khanate in our country. We
have simply to try and cease to follow the pattern of the Europeans
in every matter.

Let’s choose self-improvement as a goal, shifting the emphasis on
our "self-" For the sake of welfare; in order to live a comfortable
life in welfare and not to be ashamed of ourselves (and not only of
the Europeans).

Let’s learn to respect ourselves. So as our people will first of all
learn to respect ours (those having power will respect the population,
and only then will the contrary happen) and secondly, the foreigners
will learn to respect our people. If that happens, all the rest will
be settled too.

And then, both our way of living and civilization will deserve respect
in the same Europe, being built on the principles of self-respect and
democracy, the latter being perceived by the people as a key issue (and
not as something leading to compliance with the EU standards). In other
words, it is necessary to give Europe the opportunity to respect us.

The old Jewish wisdom speaks on how Abraham prayed to God every
evening, for winning a "Volga" by lottery. After the successive
prayer, a voice was heard from heaven, saying "Abraham, give me a
chance! Buy me a lottery ticket". A piece of advice that is concerns
not only Abraham.

P.S. But there is definitely one thing we have to learn from the
Europeans. Unlike our people who are extremely politicized, very
many people in Europe do not even know the name of their President
or Prime Minister.

They don’t know and don’t even want to, and it is the most precise
sign of society being sustainable. The people there are sure that
the change of this or that individual representing the authority will
not particularly make any changes in their lives. So, why should they
take pains, trying to keep in mind the successive name? Let him work
to the benefit of society, and if he works badly, they will not elect
him next time.