Say whatever you want, but the level of paranoia in our society is very high. Let’s say that innocent news is published; “the president signed several laws accepted by the National Assembly.” At once, without even reading the text, hundreds of people voice their fears and imagination, and start to curse, thinking that this is regarding that law- the one that introduced changes in the system, which caused protests on October 2nd.
Recently, one of my interviews with “Shant” was unavailable on YouTube for one or two hours due to technical difficulties. “Who ordered you to remove that interview?” and other comments with “realistic” assumptions began to surface. Even the working link doesn’t convince those who claim to see conspiracies.
In a surprising coincidence, on the same day, another guest on “Herankar” implied that my questions, which they didn’t like, were “guided” by someone, otherwise my “aggressive behavior” was unexplainable. I (presumably unsuccessfully) tried to explain that I respect them and all people in the world. That does not mean that I like everyone, or that I like everyone’s actions, but I see a person in everyone who is worth my respect and empathy.
Living in paranoia, worrying about conspiracies, and being hateful, jealous, and envious are both easy and difficult. It’s easy from a short-term perspective, but difficult in a long-term one. It’s similar to alcoholism or drug addiction. It dulls your pain for a few hours and allows you to forget about your own difficulties, but then it ruins your mood even more and makes your life gloomier and meaningless. Thinking that everything that happens is a conspiracy against you is also a form of short-term comfort- “Oh, I’m such a good person, look at how many people there are against me!” Letting go of your ego is sometimes painful, but in the end, you realize that life, which does not revolve around you, is more interesting and multifaceted.
Aram Abrahamyan
