notes and comments

[arabaliozian]

Re: elegy

This is what I mean when I talk about confusion! So many ideas in one post. Each of these ideas belong to a much broader discussion. So why do you try to say everything so fast? For example, you talk about America and then talk about what a smart Armenian should say! Does that make sense to you? A simple, straightforward post would get your message out MUCH better then this post ever could because it's what I like to call Borsh. You've mixed up all kinds of thoughts that have come in your mind in one post.

Now say I think you made a mistake in one sentence ... I can't say anything! Why? Because it will lead to a much broader discussion which means I won't get an answer. Just look at how you ignored almost 5 of my posts again. For that reason, I'm asking you to simply go one at a time unless you want us to completely ignore your posts from now on. I'm trying really hard here to read and try and understand you ... please give me a reason to continue doing so.

Saco:
it seems to me
in whatever you say
you give one the impression that you know better.
i therefore have no choice but to conclude
that you are wasting your time reading me.
i know i am wasting mine when i read you
because you do nothing but recycle propaganda.
i have no idea how old you are
but it is never too late to learn to think for youself.
i wish you the best of luck!

[arabaliozian]

Re: elegy

QUOTATIONS FROM KAREKIN NEJDEH (1886-1957)
**************************************************
Selected and translated by Ara Baliozian
************************************************** ***


The morally depraved can also voice noble principles.

Life is constant and endless renewal. Only the morally irresponsible refuse to understand this.


Without renewal, a nation dies every hour, every minute. Our political parties either don't understand this or they have no
desire to understand it.



A nation that fails to do what it can and must do has no right to expect foreign assistance.



Nations that are unwilling to defend their own interests condemn themselves to death.



When dealing with foreign powers and issues, our press adopts a permissive, forgiving, and subservient tone. With our own internal problems, however, it becomes arrogant, vindictive, vicious.

[arabaliozian]

Re: elegy

This morning more than ever
I am seized by an irresistible longing
to speak my mother tongue.
I search for an Armenian,
any Armenian, with whom I can speak.
If you understand this strange,
irresistible longing,
please help me.

I would like to meet an Armenian,
any Armenian,
even an alienated one
who has forgotten his mother tongue.
Let him remember a single word only;
and let our paths cross
so that I may say to him:
Are you Armenian?
And if he were to nod yes with his head,
I would immediately cry out the words
taught to me by my father and mother:
Pari Louys!
In the name of everything that is holy,
I swear to you
there can be nothing sweeter,
nothing more heart-rending.

ow much meaning have our ancestors
placed in that expression!...
O my lovely Armenian language:
as fresh as the morn
and as deep as the night;
as frolicsome as a child
and as wise as an old man;
as consoling as a prayer
and as beautiful as Spring.

O my sweet Armenian language
fit for a mighty king
as well as a humble peasant,
suitable for townspeople
as well as villagers,
ever youthful,
ever mighty,
may you live forever.


SHAVARSH NARTUNI
(translated by Ara Baliozian)


--
SHAVARSH NARTUNI (1898-1968) was born in a small village near Istanbul
but spent most of his life in Paris. After receiving his medical
degree, he became involved in community affairs and contributed a
ceaseless flow of essays, short stories, prose poems, and articles on
different aspects of Armenian culture, some of which were later
collected and published in 20 volumes.

--
Ara Baliozian was born in Athens, Greece and received his education
in Venice, Italy. He lives in Ontario, Canada and writes in
Armenian and English and has published over 20 books of his
works. He has translated works from Armenian writers, such as
Grigor Zohrab, Zabel Yessayan, and Kostan Zarian into English.

[Sako]

Re: elegy

Saco:
it seems to me
in whatever you say
you give one the impression that you know better.

On the contrary, I'm trying to understand you. If you saw something wrong in my posts, I apologize, but I spoke not only my mind but that of many, many others. And which part of ANY of my posts suggested that I KNOW BETTER? I challenged your views ... I didn't laugh at you or try to degrade you or your views in any way. Please don't get the wrong idea.

i therefore have no choice but to conclude
that you are wasting your time reading me.
i know i am wasting mine when i read you
because you do nothing but recycle propaganda.

I wonder how ... although I'm probably wasting my time because you won't reply ... AGAIN! And it seems I already have wasted my time because you COMPLETELY misunderstood me.

i have no idea how old you are
but it is never too late to learn to think for youself.
i wish you the best of luck!

And I wish you all the best as well but it is neither late to listen to what others are saying and try and understand them the same way they are trying to understand YOU!

Peace

[Sako]

Re: elegy

I like the structure of ara's post, it starts with a familiar, easily understandable example (Wall Street gangsters), then shows how peoples' minds support such tyrannical structures (referring to his fellow Armenians of course), reminds us again of the American example of false promises (a phenomenon that is nowhere near exclusively American), reminds us how Armenians seek to be blameless...

It's just his central message that until we recognize the terms of the world and stop blaming someone else for our troubles, our not so virtuous leaders will manipulate us through our surface differences and lead us to satisfy their own whims, ultimately leading to the worst possible tyranny, the kind where we see nothing amiss with our situation.

J, many misunderstand him. Like I said, he tries to say lots of things with one sentence. I'm afraid that doesn't always heed good results when OVERDONE. This writing style is interesting but hard to understand on many occasions. The overall message is clear to everyone but when you start going into details, many different ideas popup ... many random ideas somehow related to the subject. Each of those ideas though belong to a much broader discussion and when people ask a question say related to just ONE of them ... like one related to Armenians for example ... Mr. B doesn't reply! That's why I'm saying, let's go step by step so we can all understand and not MISUNDERSTAND everthing being presented and get the chance to ask questions, discuss these issues, and get good answers. This is my humble advice because I've heard a lot of people criticize him. I mean, at times, he says one thing but means something completely different and people start misunderstanding him. It's natural. I hoped to let him know so we couldall have more interesting discussions and why not, learn something along the way and all I got is a message politely saying that I'm a smart ass and should learn to think for myself, lol!

I do think for myself ... I simply don't ignore the world while I'm at it.....

[seruven]

Re: elegy

Saco, I don't have answers for all of the points you're questioning. But as for Baliozian's style, he is not a casual forum member sending posts whenever he sees an interesting thread. He is a writer and sharing his work with us here. You can not send a letter to Tolstoy and tell him to write shorter as more people will be able to read him.
Don't you see that we can't expect to alter his style or want him to discuss every line of his work with us?

[Gavur]

Re: elegy

I think Ara sometimes hits and sometimes misses, at his age it is probably too late to tell him when he misses, because he's too set in hes ways.It would be nice though, to tell him when he connects.I personally think at the very least hes a throw back to those old Ottoman wall calenders, that inform you of old wisdom and idioms he probably grew up reading like me

[Gavur]

Re: elegy

Friday, June 18, 2009
*****************************************
THE WAGES OF SIN
************************************************** ****
Hannah Arendt: “If we do not know our own history, we are doomed to live it as though it were our fate.”
*
#

For instance I love this one.Too bad its not Ara's.

[KanadaHye]

Re: elegy

i have no idea how old you are
but it is never too late to learn to think for youself.
i wish you the best of luck!

Are we allowed to think for ourselves without being persecuted?

I think Ara sometimes hits and sometimes misses, at his age it is probably too late to tell him when he misses, because he's too set in hes ways.It would be nice though, to tell him when he connects. I personally think at the very least hes a throw back to those old Ottoman wall calenders, that inform you of old wisdom and idioms he probably grew up reading like me

Classical thought never misses, it is constantly being recycled.

[Sako]

Re: elegy

Saco, I don't have answers for all of the points you're questioning. But as for Baliozian's style, he is not a casual forum member sending posts whenever he sees an interesting thread. He is a writer and sharing his work with us here. You can not send a letter to Tolstoy and tell him to write shorter as more people will be able to read him.
Don't you see that we can't expect to alter his style or want him to discuss every line of his work with us?

Kardesh, that's why I asked, is this a diary or something? No reply as usual. When he replied, I thought we were sharing ideas already and have a discussion. Now I guess we're back to diary mode.

And I wasn't discussing EVERY line, I challenged a few views and didn't get proper answers (for some reason). If Ara just wants to fill this thread with his works then let him do so but let him let us know that he isn't going to be answering questions or anything like that properly. But if he wants our views and will be answering then I'm afraid tactics are going to have to change a bit.