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Revisiting iZartonk: Attempting to Cross the River
http://asbarez.com/112667/revisiting-izartonk-attempting-to-cross-the-river/
Friday, August 9th, 2013
A 21st Century Zartonk
BY PURAG MOUMDJIAN (BELBOUL)
Ends and Beginnings
On the twenty-fifth of May, I attended the joint funeral of Allen
Yekikian and Sosé Thomassian. Their loved ones shared passionate words
of anger and admiration after the burial, and the day was finished
with a fitting song from the revolutionary past of our homeland. We
arrived that morning melancholy, still traumatized, still in
disbelief; we left, however, inspired, uplifted, and, especially for
some, relieved. The trauma is still there, the disbelief will never
escape us, but both make the inspiration, and what will surely come of
it, all the more pleasant.
It was discussed at great length during the program following the
funeral, but the message resounds. I did not know Allen and Sosé
personally; they were familiar faces, acquaintances at best, yet I and
the many others in the same position felt so affected. In the weeks
preceding the funeral, from the news of the tragic accident in Armenia
to the burial, and even up until this moment, as I sit and write this,
I questioned whether I had the right to feel this way; whether I was
even allowed to feel the same pain their very close friends and loving
families felt.
Others posed the ultimate question: `Why?' How could this turn of
events be part of God's plan? Why were their lives cut so short, with
so much left to do? Who is to blame? Why wasn't I taken in their
stead?'
We all look to our principles to find the answers, but it is right
under our noses. The phrase that has echoed throughout the nation,
even the world, in response to this event, tells the whole story.
`While the prudent stand and ponder, the fool has already crossed the
river.' The origin of this quote predates even the ARF; it is a line
from Raffi's 1880 novel Khente, or The Fool. Allen used the quote on a
daily basis, and it was even his email signature. Like anybody's
favorite quote, it meant to him something more profound than it did to
anyone else, and only after losing him did everybody see why. It is
not just a quote, but also a mentality; it's the tenet of a lifestyle
that favors not only being involved in aspects of society, but also
overcoming personal barriers. It is a powerful testament to the human
spirit, and the spirit is dying amid the shocking realities of
humanity's capability for wickedness.
We look to ourselves and to others to tell us why this happened and
how we should feel; we think these are the pertinent questions. But we
need only to understand Raffi's powerful words to see what Allen and
Sosé saw long before any of us. We, the prudent, ponder about the
trivial hows and whys of this tragedy. But the greatness is in the
fool; the brave one among the rest who sees the importance in doing
rather than thinking.
Allen and Sosé were certainly fools, for while their peers stood and
carefully thought, they acted on their conviction. We must follow in
their footsteps and stop our pondering. Allen and Sosé were not lost
without reason - they crossed the river first so that the others,
including you and me, knew what they were facing. We must cross the
river - and we know from Allen and Sosé's bravery that the river is wide
and the current is strong; but it is all that is stopping us from
emerging on the other side rejuvenated, revitalized, and most of all,
reawakened.
Revisiting iZartonk
Awakening. Zartonk. The first time I heard the word zartonk was in
reference to an old book on the history of the ARF. Just as the
forefathers of this movement had an awakening, Allen cognized the one
we as an organization and as a people are undergoing. The very same
zartonk that we are stopping in its tracks by refusing to cross the
river. While the zartonk of our forefathers was one of ink, paper, and
knowledge, this one - this technological reawakening that Allen called
iZartonk - is one of smartphones, the internet, and knowledge still;
this time, however, the knowledge is both figuratively and literally
boundless.
This reawakening comes as welcome news. We are rapidly approaching the
centennial of the start of the Armenian Genocide: April 24th, 1915,
when over two hundred of these awakened intellectuals were seized and
executed in Turkey. The pressure is rising; the weight of our nation's
future lies on the shoulders of ready and willing youth with an
ungrounded and unguided passion for liberating themselves and the rest
of the Armenian people from the century-old wound that has festered
for too long.
We are bound by tradition that neither prescribes nor can foster the
potential impetus of an unhalted iZartonk movement. We are attempting
to heal a century-old wound with century-old methods when the end of
the 20th century and the infancy of the 21st brought new, innovative,
and effective instruments of healing.
The obstacle that we are now faced with, as we get closer and closer
to the prophesied point of no return, is breaking from the mold of a
19th century philosophy, bearing in mind where we came from and where
we have been so as to have a sense of where to go. Allen serves as the
progenitor of this credo; his death is the most powerful reminder of
his noble goal and its necessary course.
The Philosophy of iZartonk
Allen's 2010 article, `A 21st Century Zartonk: An iRevival in the
Modern Age of iFedayees,' a collaboration with Paul Chaderjian, acts
as the consolidated doctrine of iZartonk and rightfully established
him as the spearhead of the movement. Through his introduction of this
philosophy in the AYF, he energized the organization and internalized
the utilization of social media as a vessel for mass communication
about social issues.
The youth, therefore, are inherently at the center of this movement.
The resource pool that only this generation of young Armenians
possesses should be the focus of our efforts. We should be teaching
young Armenians how to communicate through the mainstream, utilizing
the various facets of the very broad wealth of information and
communicative media.
I have deliberately targeted mass media as a whole for this project.
Young Armenians all over the world have access to the physical and
digital tools and the creative capacity necessary to bring this
forward, but they are gathering dust, going unused. The minds of the
genuinely creative young Armenians are degenerating into hollow shells
because of the disparity present between their sociopolitical goals
and their artistic ones.
So the challenge stands in engaging these Armenian youth, devoted and
passionate in spirit but detached in creative applications to convey
such. And the solution lies in reaching out to the large populations
of Armenian students and youth and, in the simplest terms, telling
them that these resources exist, are likely within their reach, and
have the power of communication beyond restraint.
The most basic and introductory of these resources, and in many ways
the only one you really need, is sitting in your pocket right now. The
sheer number of audiences one can reach in one social media campaign
is enough to warrant its use in furthering the Armenian cause. But the
young generation, equipped with an unmatched passion for that and so
many other causes, as well as smartphones that they already use every
day, don't even think twice.
I can't help but smile when, around April twenty-fourth, every year,
my friends start posting images on Facebook and Instagram of Armenian
flags and the ARF's coat of arms, captioned with their generic
messages of optimism about the future of our cause. But my smile fades
as I realize that is where it ends.
The Expressive Arts
I speak not only about sharing through social media; again, it was
with full intent that I proposed a mass media revival. Armenian youth
must control every form of media, every form of communication: in
writing, fictional and non, like stories and articles; visual art,
expressive and literal, like paintings and photographs; film, creative
and informative, like short films and PSAs; serialization, diverse in
genre, like web shows and podcasts; and finally music, fun and
enlightening all the same.
The resources for all of these are already there, most of them free or
affordable. The course of action is simply to give the proverbial push
to these young Armenians; we must show them how filmmaking opens its
arms to students without any professional gear and how music
production has been simplified to plugging an instrument into a
computer and playing.
These self-expressive arts will drive iZartonk to its apex, and I
should hope that they do soon. It is in our hands to push this project
forward, and if we wish to truly rejuvenate, revitalize and reawaken,
we have no more than a year to reach the Armenian youth with this
message and the next one to start developing their role in mainstream
media.
I envision summits - one, or four, or forty - taking place all over the
world for Armenian youth to attend where industry professionals and
young enthusiasts already starting these initiatives can bring their
expertise to the audiences of young Armenians with a devotion to
service around the world. Globalizing this project will not only unify
the geographically and culturally distanced diasporan populations, but
also empower Armenians in a primarily technology-driven society who
feel otherwise powerless or without a voice.
Beginnings and Ends
Allen and Sosé crossed the river ahead of any of us so that we may
know the true, predestined master plan for establishing iZartonk as a
conclusive philosophy by the youth and for the youth. The emergence of
this movement at our hands and its eventual absorption into our
collective philosophy and society will be the greatest tribute we
could give Allen and the greatest celebration of his convictions and
life's work.
And even if we can't get there, we'll have put forward a unified
effort towards a collective goal, and that in itself is a zartonk of
the Armenian people.
http://asbarez.com/112667/revisiting-izartonk-attempting-to-cross-the-river/
Friday, August 9th, 2013
A 21st Century Zartonk
BY PURAG MOUMDJIAN (BELBOUL)
Ends and Beginnings
On the twenty-fifth of May, I attended the joint funeral of Allen
Yekikian and Sosé Thomassian. Their loved ones shared passionate words
of anger and admiration after the burial, and the day was finished
with a fitting song from the revolutionary past of our homeland. We
arrived that morning melancholy, still traumatized, still in
disbelief; we left, however, inspired, uplifted, and, especially for
some, relieved. The trauma is still there, the disbelief will never
escape us, but both make the inspiration, and what will surely come of
it, all the more pleasant.
It was discussed at great length during the program following the
funeral, but the message resounds. I did not know Allen and Sosé
personally; they were familiar faces, acquaintances at best, yet I and
the many others in the same position felt so affected. In the weeks
preceding the funeral, from the news of the tragic accident in Armenia
to the burial, and even up until this moment, as I sit and write this,
I questioned whether I had the right to feel this way; whether I was
even allowed to feel the same pain their very close friends and loving
families felt.
Others posed the ultimate question: `Why?' How could this turn of
events be part of God's plan? Why were their lives cut so short, with
so much left to do? Who is to blame? Why wasn't I taken in their
stead?'
We all look to our principles to find the answers, but it is right
under our noses. The phrase that has echoed throughout the nation,
even the world, in response to this event, tells the whole story.
`While the prudent stand and ponder, the fool has already crossed the
river.' The origin of this quote predates even the ARF; it is a line
from Raffi's 1880 novel Khente, or The Fool. Allen used the quote on a
daily basis, and it was even his email signature. Like anybody's
favorite quote, it meant to him something more profound than it did to
anyone else, and only after losing him did everybody see why. It is
not just a quote, but also a mentality; it's the tenet of a lifestyle
that favors not only being involved in aspects of society, but also
overcoming personal barriers. It is a powerful testament to the human
spirit, and the spirit is dying amid the shocking realities of
humanity's capability for wickedness.
We look to ourselves and to others to tell us why this happened and
how we should feel; we think these are the pertinent questions. But we
need only to understand Raffi's powerful words to see what Allen and
Sosé saw long before any of us. We, the prudent, ponder about the
trivial hows and whys of this tragedy. But the greatness is in the
fool; the brave one among the rest who sees the importance in doing
rather than thinking.
Allen and Sosé were certainly fools, for while their peers stood and
carefully thought, they acted on their conviction. We must follow in
their footsteps and stop our pondering. Allen and Sosé were not lost
without reason - they crossed the river first so that the others,
including you and me, knew what they were facing. We must cross the
river - and we know from Allen and Sosé's bravery that the river is wide
and the current is strong; but it is all that is stopping us from
emerging on the other side rejuvenated, revitalized, and most of all,
reawakened.
Revisiting iZartonk
Awakening. Zartonk. The first time I heard the word zartonk was in
reference to an old book on the history of the ARF. Just as the
forefathers of this movement had an awakening, Allen cognized the one
we as an organization and as a people are undergoing. The very same
zartonk that we are stopping in its tracks by refusing to cross the
river. While the zartonk of our forefathers was one of ink, paper, and
knowledge, this one - this technological reawakening that Allen called
iZartonk - is one of smartphones, the internet, and knowledge still;
this time, however, the knowledge is both figuratively and literally
boundless.
This reawakening comes as welcome news. We are rapidly approaching the
centennial of the start of the Armenian Genocide: April 24th, 1915,
when over two hundred of these awakened intellectuals were seized and
executed in Turkey. The pressure is rising; the weight of our nation's
future lies on the shoulders of ready and willing youth with an
ungrounded and unguided passion for liberating themselves and the rest
of the Armenian people from the century-old wound that has festered
for too long.
We are bound by tradition that neither prescribes nor can foster the
potential impetus of an unhalted iZartonk movement. We are attempting
to heal a century-old wound with century-old methods when the end of
the 20th century and the infancy of the 21st brought new, innovative,
and effective instruments of healing.
The obstacle that we are now faced with, as we get closer and closer
to the prophesied point of no return, is breaking from the mold of a
19th century philosophy, bearing in mind where we came from and where
we have been so as to have a sense of where to go. Allen serves as the
progenitor of this credo; his death is the most powerful reminder of
his noble goal and its necessary course.
The Philosophy of iZartonk
Allen's 2010 article, `A 21st Century Zartonk: An iRevival in the
Modern Age of iFedayees,' a collaboration with Paul Chaderjian, acts
as the consolidated doctrine of iZartonk and rightfully established
him as the spearhead of the movement. Through his introduction of this
philosophy in the AYF, he energized the organization and internalized
the utilization of social media as a vessel for mass communication
about social issues.
The youth, therefore, are inherently at the center of this movement.
The resource pool that only this generation of young Armenians
possesses should be the focus of our efforts. We should be teaching
young Armenians how to communicate through the mainstream, utilizing
the various facets of the very broad wealth of information and
communicative media.
I have deliberately targeted mass media as a whole for this project.
Young Armenians all over the world have access to the physical and
digital tools and the creative capacity necessary to bring this
forward, but they are gathering dust, going unused. The minds of the
genuinely creative young Armenians are degenerating into hollow shells
because of the disparity present between their sociopolitical goals
and their artistic ones.
So the challenge stands in engaging these Armenian youth, devoted and
passionate in spirit but detached in creative applications to convey
such. And the solution lies in reaching out to the large populations
of Armenian students and youth and, in the simplest terms, telling
them that these resources exist, are likely within their reach, and
have the power of communication beyond restraint.
The most basic and introductory of these resources, and in many ways
the only one you really need, is sitting in your pocket right now. The
sheer number of audiences one can reach in one social media campaign
is enough to warrant its use in furthering the Armenian cause. But the
young generation, equipped with an unmatched passion for that and so
many other causes, as well as smartphones that they already use every
day, don't even think twice.
I can't help but smile when, around April twenty-fourth, every year,
my friends start posting images on Facebook and Instagram of Armenian
flags and the ARF's coat of arms, captioned with their generic
messages of optimism about the future of our cause. But my smile fades
as I realize that is where it ends.
The Expressive Arts
I speak not only about sharing through social media; again, it was
with full intent that I proposed a mass media revival. Armenian youth
must control every form of media, every form of communication: in
writing, fictional and non, like stories and articles; visual art,
expressive and literal, like paintings and photographs; film, creative
and informative, like short films and PSAs; serialization, diverse in
genre, like web shows and podcasts; and finally music, fun and
enlightening all the same.
The resources for all of these are already there, most of them free or
affordable. The course of action is simply to give the proverbial push
to these young Armenians; we must show them how filmmaking opens its
arms to students without any professional gear and how music
production has been simplified to plugging an instrument into a
computer and playing.
These self-expressive arts will drive iZartonk to its apex, and I
should hope that they do soon. It is in our hands to push this project
forward, and if we wish to truly rejuvenate, revitalize and reawaken,
we have no more than a year to reach the Armenian youth with this
message and the next one to start developing their role in mainstream
media.
I envision summits - one, or four, or forty - taking place all over the
world for Armenian youth to attend where industry professionals and
young enthusiasts already starting these initiatives can bring their
expertise to the audiences of young Armenians with a devotion to
service around the world. Globalizing this project will not only unify
the geographically and culturally distanced diasporan populations, but
also empower Armenians in a primarily technology-driven society who
feel otherwise powerless or without a voice.
Beginnings and Ends
Allen and Sosé crossed the river ahead of any of us so that we may
know the true, predestined master plan for establishing iZartonk as a
conclusive philosophy by the youth and for the youth. The emergence of
this movement at our hands and its eventual absorption into our
collective philosophy and society will be the greatest tribute we
could give Allen and the greatest celebration of his convictions and
life's work.
And even if we can't get there, we'll have put forward a unified
effort towards a collective goal, and that in itself is a zartonk of
the Armenian people.