“Do not be a fool, do not be deceived” – I have been hearing this warning since childhood, honestly speaking, I have always neglected this urge. “I do not want to seem weak, not determined, not manly, ridiculous”, “I should comply with the requirements of this cruel world” – proceeding from these paranoid fears keeps people in a permanent tension, makes unhappy. And the life is as cruel or kind, as sad or joyful as I make it so.
Formulating this general principle let me bring an example of being “deceived”. As already known, lying and “deceiving” is the inseparable part of Armenia’s culture. (I intentionally mention Armenia’s and not Armenian, because Armenians would hardly dare to have such behavior in Germany, for example.) It is at least a tradition of dozens of years, I have been the witness of this phenomenon during my whole conscious life. Our artisans are virtuoso masters of lying and “deceiving”, in particular. The solution of the problem is not in traducing these poor people but establishing “white” agreement relations. I call, for example, a company conducting repair, we agree on the work, I transfer a “white” sum, I receive a check or CRM receipt, and the agreement constitutes: the work is accomplished in 10 days, for which 10x money is paid, and if it lasts 11 days, x money is returned to me, if 12 days, then 2x money is returned, etc.
Forasmuch as we are very far from that “institutional” solution, as they say, in real Armenian communications 2 options are in place. The first one – to “bargain” with the master every day on why he has not done this or that work and hear his stories about his attendance to the christening or funeral of another relative again. In this case, I should use the features of Sherlock Holmes and Vyshinsky simultaneously. The second option is to be “deceived”, which is preferable to me. Inasmuch as no certain legal mechanisms against deceit exist, then all other actions (“bargaining” encompassed) are a deceit or self-deceit. Let them think I am a “fool”.
I have never aspired to be “trendy” in any matter.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
