Putting their leader’s corpse in a mausoleum, the Communists sent a message to the population of the country; this is a relic to which every one of you must bow, putting aside your personal, national, and religious differences. When I was at a conscious age, that worship was false, moreover, it was a subject of mockery, material for jokes. Those who made elevated speeches about Lenin by no means confessed the “Communist religion.” If it hadn’t been so, that state might have existed longer. However, in not only a Communist, but also any other state, even the most democratic one, there are, there should be some “icons,” some authorities, ideas, myths, if you like, on which there is some national agreement, which sober everyone, make them put aside not only disagreements, but also cynical smiles. When Republicans, probably following the Communist example, mechanically try to replace Lenin with Nzhdeh, it certainly arouses opposite reaction and besmirches that wonderful, patriotic person, Nzhdeh. His aphorisms, which are sometimes presented as a complete philosophical conception, cannot unite us. In that sense, even if the movie about Nzhdeh had been the unsurpassable masterpiece of all time, it would have been mocked and attacked by the Republicans’ opponents, in particular.
However, if it is not possible to force people to accept such a uniting idea or symbol in the former, Communist way, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be there at all. In my opinion, the ideal solution would be, if the Armenian Apostolic Church played that role. However, unfortunately, our high-ranking clergymen don’t enjoy any respect among our society; they are perceived as a part of the criminal oligarchic system, and I think they basically deserve that perception.
What then? You certainly don’t expect me to answer that question within the limits of one computer page. I just want to remind that it will soon be the 25th anniversary of the Karabakh Movement. Let us look at the famous photo of the Karabakh Committee members in Freedom Square – yesterday it was shown in our newspaper – perhaps, that picture will tell you something. I don’t claim that those guys found something, but they sensed something nonetheless. Otherwise, a million people wouldn’t have gathered, otherwise, thousands of people wouldn’t have voluntarily left for the front. When I talk with Avetik Ishkhanyan, I try to use only formal words, and as the conversation proceeds, I substitute the Russian phrases that occur to me with the Armenian equivalents. Only because of Avetik’s last name.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
