(Re)Defining Rebirth

Life is endless renewal. Where there is no renewal there will be spiritual paralysis and a slow death

The idea of rebirth is a familiar one to the Armenian people because it has represented endurance in the face of oppression, perseverance in the face of struggle, and survival in the face of oblivion.

After all, we are a people who trace our history to those who endured, led by Vartan Mamigonian at the Battle of Avarayr. We draw our strength from those who persevered like Kevork Chavoush and Soseh Mayrig. We find our hope in those who survived like the unnamed child in the Syrian Desert.

We are the stubborn people Saroyan described as not capable of being destroyed.

The time has come for us to redefine the concept of rebirth to not only represent endurance, perseverance and survival, but to grow to represent creation, enlightenment, and renewal.

After all, we are also the people who built Tigranakert in the 1stcentury B.C., creating a Kingdom from sea to sea. We also draw our intellect from the Zartonk-era of the 18th-19th century, which enlightened revolutionaries to imagine better futures and work to create them. We also find our hope in the renewal of our culture, our struggle, our objectives, our means, and our commitment.

Today, we are the creators of our future history. We do not accept the idea that our culture is static. We are surrounded by young talents of our generation who will continue taking inspiration from our rich traditions in order to develop the Armenian culture of tomorrow.

Today, our struggle is not one-dimensional. We understand the forces we face, and strategize on how to overcome them at all obstacles. We categorically reject the idea that the pursuit of justice for historical wrongs, and working for the prosperity of our homeland are mutually exclusive ideas. We are no longer victims of genocide, we are cognizant of our rights and what is owed to us—and we will have our justice.

Today, our objectives as a people are aligned, unified across more lines than ever before. We pay no attention to, nor do we give any credence to, any differentiation, segregation, or marginalization of any segments of our communities. We recognize the importance of engaging and activating our masses, and ridding our society of useless commentary and pretension.

Today, our means are well developed and cutting-edge. We are not afraid or hesitant, to not only step outside of the box, but to kick the box over and stand on it to attain new heights. Our movement is based on participation—on sharing and debating ideas, concerns, and plans. Our advocacy knows no bounds, our voice knows no deafness.

Today we aim to better ourselves in order to better our people. We see our lives as vessels of opportunity ready to work for the betterment of our communities and our homeland without any indecisiveness.

Our commitment is renewed and our motivation is our future.