Being Armenian no longer simply means having an “IAN” or “YAN” at the end of your last name. Being Armenian no longer means being able to speak or read Armenian. Being Armenian no longer means sending your children to Armenian schools. Being Armenian no longer means joining Armenian organizations and singing patriotic songs. Being Armenian no longer means enjoying Armenia from afar. Being Armenian no longer means spending your summer as a tourist in Armenia.
Being Armenian has forever changed in my mind since November 9, 2020. It has become a duty to better the free and independent country we have today. Being born in the diaspora, Armenia always seemed like a fairy tale relayed to me by various Armenian organizations and schools. However, after the 2020 Artsakh War, I realized that Armenia is frail, not strong as described in those fairy tales. Trauma lurked within Armenians all over the world after the tragic end to the war. I owned up to the trauma and answered the call to move to the homeland. It was the best decision I have ever made, as the homeland cured me and provided me with a strong sense of purpose, a purpose that I would never have attained living outside of Armenia. Every day I wake up thankful to be living and breathing on free and independent Armenian land. Although this is not where my ancestors were from, I still feel so attached to the land and the people. The connection with a people, a plot of land, a mountain range, or a body of water has never felt so real or fulfilling.
I live this attachment to the land, day in and day out, contributing to the future of our nation. Hrant Dink once said, “The best thing you can do for your country is to live there.” I agree with him wholeheartedly. However, if one decides to reside outside of Armenia, the work for the nation should always be ever present in their mind. The most important thing is establishing a tangible and real connection with Armenia, whether living inside or outside of the country, that will contribute to Armenia’s betterment. We are fortunate to have a free and independent Armenia today and must ensure it remains free and independent through hard work and “sacrifice.” By “sacrifice,” I mean attaining a purpose and living a fulfilling life—one full of endless gratitude and beauty.
-A Concerned Armenian
Varak Ghazarian
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Agreed, “We are fortunate to have a free and independent Armenia today and must ensure it remains free and independent through hard work and “sacrifice.” By “sacrifice,” I mean attaining a purpose and living a fulfilling life—one full of endless gratitude and beauty.”
Armenians need to stop telling Armenians how to be Armenian.
Varak, your decision to move to Armenia, and your sincere and heartfelt sentiments about what it means to be an Armenian, is moving and praise-worthy. At this very critical time in Armenian history, when our fellow Armenians in Artsakh are facing the real possibility of annihilation by the Azerbaijan blockade, it is incumbent upon us all, no matter where in Armenia, or the diaspora we live, to make our voices heard; to inform the world about the grave injustice that is being perpetrated against the Armenians living in Artsakh.
The promise, ‘Never Again!’, which was made by Armenians following the Genocide of 1915, will be meaningless, if we Armenians do not take bold, decisive actions, now, to protect Artsakh. Our voice must be united, our message clear: Azerbaijan must end the blockade. Artsakh is, and will remain a free, independent, Armenian territory.
This is what it takes, this is what it means to be an Armenian today!