The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

[yerazhishda]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

That it could have been chance that I am Armenian and not a Turk is beside the point.

Not when you're trying to get others to realize the frailty of their ultranationalist paradigms.

It could be argued that it was chance I was born human and not an ostrich, but that misses the point. That all depends on how one views the world. Do you see everything around you as accident and chance, or intelligent and purposeful?

Well that all depends on whether you believe in God or not. If you do believe in God, this life does have meaning. If you do not believe in God whatever you do on this earth will ultimately have no meaning - memory of you ever existing will be destroyed along with the rest of the planet.

[yerazhishda]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

Yeraz, I thought your essay was very good. Keep it up.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[freakyfreaky]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

To bad it was nationalists fighting in Artsakh, it was them who were dying there. Not forward thinkers, it were nationalists wo made the country independent. Yes nationalisme is so bad.

I hope all of you so called free minds will be there when Armenia needs you. But I'm not counting on it. It will be nationalists giving their lifes so the country they love more than their own lifes, more than the life of their families can exist. Think about that

Karo, I think you missed the point.

Yeraz did not dismiss the importance of nationalism.

He was speaking about ultra-nationalism.

Look at Turkey right now and all the rumblings of a 'deep state'.

There is a rift in the country between moderates and the ultranationals and a rarely discussed fear of military coup.

[TXMENIAN]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

To bad it was nationalists fighting in Artsakh, it was them who were dying there. Not forward thinkers, it were nationalists wo made the country independent. Yes nationalisme is so bad.

I hope all of you so called free minds will be there when Armenia needs you. But I'm not counting on it. It will be nationalists giving their lifes so the country they love more than their own lifes, more than the life of their families can exist. Think about that

There is a big difference between the people you are talking about and the ones he is talking about. He is talking about the wannabees that cause country/people more damage with their ways than good and call them selfs nationalist.

[Armenian]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

Not surprisingly, you have chosen to respond to my ideas in a passive-aggressive, ad hominem fashion.

Only because I'm tired of explaining things to people. You seem to be smart and a decent person, but your intellect is not yet fully developed and your perception of the world around you is yet inadequate. Learn to question things. Learn to look at things in depth. Train yourself to see the big picture. Being young you have a lot of energy, but you lack wisdom. Just my opinion.

[freakyfreaky]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

Only because I'm tired of explaining things to people. You seem to be smart and a decent person, but your intellect is not yet fully developed and your perception of the world around you is yet inadequate. Learn to question things. Learn to look at things in depth. Train yourself to see the big picture. Being young you have a lot of energy, but you lack wisdom. Just my opinion.

This from the all-knowing, omnipotent one.

Sounds to me like you are transferring, Armenian.

[Anonymouse]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

Look, from my own opinion, there seems to be a genuine disagreement of ideas. However, it does not just end there. Ideas are powerful things and define us in ways unimaginable, unforeseen and unconscious and we are not even aware of them. They often become a fabric and essence of who we are and how we see the world. They essentially become one with our own paradigm and edifice of thought, and thus when there is an attack upon the ideas we hold dear, we feel it is an attack upon us as individuals and our ways of seeing the world because we have become so intimately woven with these ideas that it forms a fabric of our lives.

However, I believe there is a common way to get across ideas without threatening the other persons' views or edifice of thought.

For example, the title of the thread speaks of "Other Forward Thinking Armenians." What is implied in that is that any views that are contrarian to those expressed by those individuals are backward and narrow-minded, while those who agree with those posters are forward thinking and progressive and open-minded. I am not stating this because I agree with what Armenian and the rest say, because I disagree with alot of what they say, but I certainly disagree with alot of what Siamanto, etc., say.

Such nuances are what cause such a rift I believe.

It is akin to people who (mostly liberals) think of themselves as "open-minded," or "tolerant," but in order to be so, you must believe in minimum wage, gun control, , egalitarianism, race mixing, abortion, homosexual marriage, promiscuity, and government hand-outs. That is what is called "open-minded" and "tolerant". Those who do not are obviously narrow minded.

This is just how it works. If we change these types of structuring, then perhaps we can make a difference.

[yerazhishda]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

Only because I'm tired of explaining things to people. You seem to be smart and a decent person, but your intellect is not yet fully developed and your perception of the world around you is yet inadequate. Learn to question things. Learn to look at things in depth. Train yourself to see the big picture. Being young you have a lot of energy, but you lack wisdom. Just my opinion.

You're earlier post in this thread seems to suggest that you think otherwise.

What is the big picture? I am looking at the big picture.

[yerazhishda]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

This is just how it works. If we change these types of structuring, then perhaps we can make a difference.

I like to think of the title of my post more of an invitation than an indictment, but you are probably right that it is percieved otherwise.

[TXMENIAN]

Re: The Case for Siamanto and Other Forward-Thinking Armenians

It is akin to people who (mostly liberals) think of themselves as "open-minded," or "tolerant," but in order to be so, you must believe in minimum wage, gun control, , egalitarianism, race mixing, abortion, homosexual marriage, promiscuity, and government hand-outs. That is what is called "open-minded" and "tolerant". Those who do not are obviously narrow minded.

Are you for real? If you are open-minded you have to believe in all you mentioned?