notes / comments

[arabaliozian]

Re: notes / comments

I don't think I'll ever tire of these short and eloquent notes... Anyone can understand them so long as they look inside of themselves and not at banners.

I cannot comprehend the level of your perceptiveness and your ability to put it into such simple phrases.

speaking for myself, i cannot comprehend how can some readers misunderstand me, in view of the fact that i try to be as direct and as difficult to misunderstand as possible...

which is why whenever i read a kind word i feel like saying:

thanks for your understanding... / ara

[jgk3]

Re: notes / comments

no problem!

[arabaliozian]

Re: notes / comments

Sunday, June 25, 2006
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A chicken and egg question: Is it dupes who create bad leaders or bad leaders who create dupes?
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Hitler was a horrible human being. He behaved decently only once in his life -- when he committed suicide. If only he had done so at the beginning of his career rather than at the end. Even so, unlike some others, he at least made one good decision in his life.
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When it comes to the injuries inflicted on us by others, we have the memory of elephants; but when it comes to the injuries we inflict on others, we behave more like advanced cases of Alzheimer’s.
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Universal education has its drawbacks. After a semester of algebra, biology, chemistry, history of philosophy, a couple of novels by Dostoevsky, and a play by Shaw, I was convinced I knew everything I needed to know. This may explain why for every two writers today we may or may not have a reader, and the chances are that reader will assume he knows better.
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For every truth there are ten thousand lies because that truth pretends to be the whole truth, which is a lie.
#

[arabaliozian]

Re: notes / comments

Speaking of Nietzsche: i will say this: he once stated that he was not a good German but he fully qualified as a good European.

As for tolerance: i see no reason why one should be tolerant of racism, one of the least tolerant of ideologies....
least tolerant? make it, murderously intolerant.

How would i respond to war and massacre?
i would probably be one of the first victims of bloodthirsy fanatics. But before that happens, i would try to explain to them that what they are advocating is madness. But i also know that explanations work only with fundamentally decent and sane men.

Am i wasting my time? Very probably, i am!

[jgk3]

Re: notes / comments

When it comes to the injuries inflicted on us by others, we have the memory of elephants; but when it comes to the injuries we inflict on others, we behave more like advanced cases of Alzheimer’s.

which goes back to our passion for resentment...

[jgk3]

Re: notes / comments

How would i respond to war and massacre?
i would probably be one of the first victims of bloodthirsy fanatics. But before that happens, i would try to explain to them that what they are advocating is madness. But i also know that explanations work only with fundamentally decent and sane men.

Am i wasting my time? Very probably, i am!

Explanations aren't always enough for sane and decent men either, especially when they can be punished by an authority figure. War and massacre are very scary things, because even the sane aren't allowed to behave sanely and live when death is staring them in the eye. I guess those of us who choose sanity above all, will be silenced first and foremost in such events.

[jgk3]

Re: notes / comments

I used to be a self-hating Armenian and I'm full blood except for a Swiss great-grandmother. I stopped hating myself the more I learned about our people and about our past. There are disgraces, but we're only human.

Why be ashamed of our blunders, why not accept what we are and live as what we are?

Perhaps the reason so many Armenians you've encountered do hate their heritage, hate it because they're afraid of embracing themselves.

[tunot]

Re: notes / comments

I used to be a self-hating Armenian and I'm full blood except for a Swiss great-grandmother. I stopped hating myself the more I learned about our people and about our past. There are disgraces, but we're only human.

Why be ashamed of our blunders, why not accept what we are and live as what we are?

Perhaps the reason so many Armenians you've encountered do hate their heritage, hate it because they're afraid of embracing themselves.

You can blame it on them as much as you like. They still remain lost, which means that we have to continue living as a an insignificant and weak nation, constantly on the verge of extinction. Maybe they see something that we don't see. Maybe you also once saw something that you are now blinded by, covering your eyes with our so-called rich culture. What rich culture, when our best men and women were contributing to other cultures?

[Anonymouse]

Re: notes / comments

This thread has been significantly cleaned up. There will be no more insulting posts derailing the thread from any party, myself included. So much as one more nonsense post or accusation, and poof goes this thread. Let Baliozian keep posting his tract.

[jgk3]

Re: notes / comments

You can blame it on them as much as you like. They still remain lost, which means that we have to continue living as a an insignificant and weak nation, constantly on the verge of extinction. Maybe they see something that we don't see. Maybe you also once saw something that you are now blinded by, covering your eyes with our so-called rich culture. What rich culture, when our best men and women were contributing to other cultures?

I don't care if some other Armenians don't follow their heritage... I might ask them if they're interested in learning about it, and if they're not, then that's their choice... Can't change that. Perhaps later on, they'll become interested. It's never too late to be curious.

It's your life afterall, do what you want with it. I want to learn about my heritage. It's a choice. Every choice has benefits and reprecussions we're not consciously aware of. If you want to escape "blindness", you'll probably have to stop thinking altogether!

If you asked me questions about how nationalistic I feel, I wouldn't know what to answer... This is confusing for me. Armenia is not my home, it's part of our ancient homeland. I would fight for my home if it was in grave danger, I don't know about ancient homeland. All I've known through experience is Canada... All I know about Armenia is what I've read from books, internet, what people have told me... I'd have to experience it myself before I can answer questions about nationalism. I intend to take a look some day, not to answer this question, but to see it for myself.

This thread has been significantly cleaned up. There will be no more insulting posts derailing the thread from any party, myself included. So much as one more nonsense post or accusation, and poof goes this thread. Let Baliozian keep posting his tract.

sounds good