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The Exuberance of Citizenship Discovered

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  • The Exuberance of Citizenship Discovered

    The Exuberance of Citizenship Discovered

    http://asbarez.com/107457/the-exuberance-of-citizenship-discovered/
    Friday, January 4th, 2013




    BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

    It's nice to be able to kick off the new year with an upbeat article.

    One of the rays of hope emanating from the Republic of Armenia is the
    very evident beginnings of `civil society', as it is now vogue to
    refer to the phenomenon. I like to see it more simply, as something
    starting from Classical Greek times, of people acting like full
    citizens.

    I got a very strong sense of this from Yeghia Nersesian when he
    visited Los Angeles last month. Once alerted to this, I started
    noticing more indications, mostly in the writings of people who now
    live or spend extended periods of time in the RoA.

    It is not just the palpable sense of `this place is mine, and I'll be
    damned if a bunch of crooks is going to deprive me of it and the
    blessings of home'. It is more positive. It is ordinary folk
    recognizing that change will not come from above. It is everyday
    Armenians recognizing that change, true, transformative societal
    change comes from `We, the people' acting as masters of our own
    nation, country, governance, and future.

    The cosmetic changes of governmental and economic form based on the
    euphoria that followed liberation from Soviet occupation and misrule
    were perhaps bound to fail. People living in dictatorships don't have
    the benefit of learning self-governance on a visceral, intuitive,
    subconscious level. The last two decades have probably served to
    provide some of that missing awareness.

    Of course, no progress is perfect. There seems to be some excessive
    caution regarding some aspects of citizen participation/organization
    that might otherwise be seen as a perfectly natural part of the civic
    landscape. It seems to me these are relatively small matters that will
    work themselves out over time.

    The key aspect of all this is that average people in Yerevan and
    elsewhere are saying to those who are on the cutting edge of activism
    `we're with you' and asking to be contacted when something is up. They
    are providing food, supplies, support, and most importantly,
    participation.

    Interestingly, though unsurprisingly for me, the particular avenue
    through which this civic movement is being manifested is environment.
    Many might sneer at this, or allow it to obstruct their view of what's
    going on in the country. That would be a loss to all of us. That's
    because the growth of citizenship may have come about through the need
    created by many other aspects of life. But currently, abuse of our
    homeland's environment - air, land, and water - is the most pressing
    issue in people's lives, so naturally citizen activism unfolds through
    this arena.

    This is how unstoppable waves, nay tsunamis, of progress emerge. Jump
    in and support this movement towards our full national liberation.
    Help realize the `free' part our slogan of `free, independent, and
    united' Armenia.

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