OPPOSING & CRITICISING IS EASY…

መቃረንና መተቸት ቀላል ነው፣ ተደምሮና ተፈቃቅሮ መኖር ግን…

የኢትዮጵያዊነት አዋጅ!

እንደ ጠ/ሚኒስትራችን አብይ አህመድ አሜሪካዊው ዶ/ር ማርቲን ሉተር ኪንግ ስለ አሜሪካን ጥቁሮች ሰላምና ነፃነት እንደዚሁም የሰው ልጅ በሰላም አብሮ እንዲኖር በመታገሉ የኖቤል የሰላም ሽልማት በተቀበለበት ዕለት የተናገራቸው ንግግሮች ግልጽ የሆኑና እንደ አብይ አንጀት የሚያርሱ እውነታዊ አነጋገር በመሆናቸው የሚያድምጡት በሙሉ በአነጋገሩ፣ በገጸ ባሕሪውና በአቀራረቡ ተደንቀው የአዳራሹ ፀጥታ መርፌ ቢወድቅ እንደሚሰማ ያስታውቃል።

PM Abiy Ahmed Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech



ከበሻሻ እስከ ባሻ፣ ከዚያም ለዓለም ማስታወሻ፣ ታዲያ ከዚህ በላይ ምን እንፈልጋለን። ይቅርታ ምን ይጠበስ ብዬ መሳደብን ባውቅም ኅሊናዬ አልፈቅድ አለኝ። ያም ሆነ ይህ እንደ ማርቲን ሉተር ኪንግ አብያችንም የሰላም ሽልማቱን የተሸለመው በእንደዚህ ዓይነት አቀራርብ(ቪዲውን ተመልከቱ)ነው ሰላምን በጦርነትና በእሥራት ሳይሆን በመደመርና ፍቅር ለማምጣት ከአክራሪዎች ጋር ዘወተር በአሉባልታ ጦርነት ፍዳውን ያየው፣ አሁንም የሚያየው።

ማርቲን ሉተር ኪንግ የኖቤል ሰላም ሽልማት ሲቀበሉ የተናገሩት ንግግር (Martin Luther King Jr. Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech)

በየጊዜው በድኅረ ገጾች ላይ ፍቅር የተሞላበትና ገንቢ ሀሳብ ሳይሆን አስፀያፊ ትችቶችን፣ ጥላቻና ጎሰኝነት የተሞላበት ቅራኔዎችን፣ በጣም የሚዘገንኑና ለኅሊናም ጥሩ አመለካከት ያሌላቸው፣ ለአዲሱ ትውልድም ነቀርሳ የሚሆኑ አስተሳሰቦች መሆናቸውን እናስተውላለን።

ማርቲን ሉተር ኪንግ ስለ ፍቅርና ሰላም ያለ ጦርነት ንግግር (Martin Luther King Jr.’s Peace & love without violence speech)

ብዙውን ጊዜ ልብ ብለን እንደሆነ የሚተቹትና የሚቃረኑት ግለሰቦችም ሁሌም ማማትና የመቃረን ችሎታ ያላቸውና መልካም ነገርን ለማንፀባረቅ ወይንም ለማበርከት የማይችሉ መሆናቸውን ዘወትር እናያለን። በደንብ ማወቅ ያለብን ዛሬ ስለጓደኛቸው ባሕሪና ፀባይ ውድም አድርገው ያወሩልን ሰዎች፣ ነገ ለሌላው ስለ እናንተ እንደዚሁ እንደሚያወሩ ነው። እነዚህም ሰዎች የእራሳቸውን ጥሩ የሆነ የግል አስተሳሰብ እንኳን በደንብ ለመግለፅ ስላልለመዱ ሁሌም ለኃሜትና ትችት ይዳረጋሉ። ሁላችንም ምናልባት ጥቂቶቻችን እንደምናውቀው ማንም ከአዋቂ ቤተሰብ ወይንም አዋቂ ሆኖ የተወለደ ሰው የለም።

አንዳንዶቻችን በታታሪነት እራሳችንን በበጎ ለማዋል ወይንም ለማሻሻል ትዕግስትን ተጠቅመን፣ ሁሉንም ችለን፣ ጥሩውንና መጥፍውን ለመለየት ለምደናል። የግድ ፖለቲከኛ፣ሳይንቲስት፣ ጋዜጠኛ፣ ፈላስፋ፣ በጠቅላላው ምሁር መሆን የለብንም። ፖለቲከኛውንም፣ ጋዜጠኛውንም፣ ፈላስፋውንም፣ በደፈናው የተማሩትንም ሁሉ አይተናል። ተስፋ ቆርጠው ወይንም በግዴለሽነት ላለመጨቃጨቅ ዝም ብለው የሚኖሩትንም ሁሉ እናስታውሳለን። እውነቱን ለመናገር፣ በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ በማንኛውም ጊዜ እንደ አብይ አህመድ ያለ ቅን፣ አዋቂ፣ ትሁትና ሞራሉ ከፍ ያለ አገር ወዳድ መሪ አልነበረም፣ አላየንምም። ይቅርታ ይህንንና ማንኛውንም በዚህ አስተያየት ውስጥ ያለውን ሀሳብና መልዕክት እንደችሎታቸው ያገለገሉትን መሪዎቻችንን ለማንቋሸሽና ለሠሩት ሥራ ምስጋና ቢስ ለመሆን ሳይሆን፣ ከነሱ የተሻለና ጥቅሙን ብቻ የማይፈልግ፣ የሕዝብን ስሞት የሚሰማና የሚረዳ መሪ ስለሆነ ብቻ ነው።

የጎሳ ፖለቲካና ጥላቻ እየጎላ በመታየቱም እስከዛሬ ድረስ ወደር የሌለውን ጠ/ሚ አብይ አህመድን ለምን የኖቤል የሰላም ሽልማት አገኙ ብለው የዋሁን ሕዝብ ሰብስበው እስካሁንም ድረስ የሚነጫነጩ አምባገነኖች ይስተዋላሉ። ጠ/ሚሩን እንደጥፋተኛ እንኳን ብንቆጥራቸው በዓለም ላይ አገራችንን ወክለው ለኖቤል በመቅረባቸው የመላው ሕዝባችን ድጋፍ ተገቢ እንደነበር ማሰቡ ተሳናቸው።

Silence is not golden

የዚህ ዓይነቱ የሚያሳፍር ሴራነት ባለፈው ጊዜ የገዛ ወገናችን ዶ/ር ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም የዓለም ጤና ድርጅት ዋና ኃላፊ ሆነው ከአገራችን በመመረጣቸው ብሔሩንና ከዚህ በፊት የበነበረበትን የሥራ ኃላፊነት በደንብ አልተወጣም በማለት ለሥራው እንዳይመረጥ ለዓለም ጤና ድርጅት መሥሪያ ቤት ክፍል ይግባኝ በመላክና ጩኸታቸውን ያስተጋቡ ብዙ አክቲቪስቶችን፣ ፖለቲከኞችን፣ ወዘተ አይተናል ግን አልተሳካላቸውም። እንደገና እነዚህ ሰዎች ማስተዋል የነበረባቸው የዶ/ር ቴዎድሮስን እንደ ዶ/ር አብይ ከአገራችን፣ ከአፍሪካ ለሥራው በመመረጣቸው ብቻ ትልቅ ድጋፍ በመስጠት በደስታ ተጥለቅልቀን በተቀበልን ነበር።

United, we win

ያም ሆነ ይህ በቅርብ ዘመናት ገኖ የኖረው ጎሰኝነት፣ ቅናት፣ምቀኝነት፣ ማዳላት፣ ወዘተ የመሳሰሉት ጎልተው ስለሚታዩ፣ ከዝሁ መጥፎ ሰው ሰራሽ በሽታ ለመላቀቅ ብዙ ሥራን ስለሚጠይቅ አስተሳሰባቸውን ለማሸነፍ ከመጣር ተስፋ በመቁረጥ ተቆራኝተው የሚኖሩ አሉ። ጥፋታቸውንም ስለሚያውቁ፣ ለመቀራረብ ያደረጉትና የተናገሩት መጥፎ ነገር ተጽኖው ስለከበዳቸው ላለመቅረብ እራሳቸውን የባሰ አርቀው ይገኛሉ። ጥሩ ድርጊት ያደረጉትም ሁሌ ያለ አግባብ የባኅሪ መጥፎነታቸው መወራት፣ ጎሰኝነትና ላደረጉት አስተዋጽኦ ምስጋና በመነፈጋቸው የመቀራረብ አቋማቸው ይሸረሸራል፣ ይመነምናል፣ በመጨረሻም ሰሚና አስተዋይ ሳያገኙ እንደ ተሰወሩ ይቀራሉ።

  ያ ሁሉ አለፈና መልካሙ ተበጀ

አዘለም ታቀፈም…እነዚሁ ጎሰኞች፣ አምባገነኖች፣ ፖለቲከኞች፣ ጋዘጠኞችና ፈላስፋዎች ሌተ ቀን ሕዝባችንን በጥሩ አንደበታቸው ማበረታታት ተስኗቸው በመጥፎ አስተሳሰባቸው ሲበክሉና ሲበታትኑ ይስተዋላሉ። የሰው ልጅ ምንም ጥፋት እንኳን ቢኖረው ያላዋቂ ሳሚ…እንደሚባለው፣ እንደተማረ ሰው በትዕግስት እርማቶችንና መደረግ የሚገባቸውን ሁኔታዊ ድርጊቶች በመልካም አንደበት ማስረዳት ሲችሉ ያደጉበትና የለመዱት የሠፈር የስድብ ውርጂብኝ የሚቀናቸው መሆኑን ሁሌም መርዝ ያዘለውን አስተያየታቸውን እናስተውላለን። ይህም እንደ ትውከት በሽታ አግርሿቸው ለጊዜ እፎይ ቢሉም፣ ሕመሙ ወይንም ትውከቱ በመሰራጨት ለሎች ጠንቅ እንደሚሆንም ደንታ እንደሌላቸው ይስተዋላል። ይህ ሁሌ ቅራኔንና ጥላቻን ብቻ የማንፀባረቅ አድራጎት ወይንም ደንታቢስነት ካልተሻሻለና ሕክምና ካላገኘ፣ ልምድ ሆኖ በኑሮ ላይ ጥልቅ የሆነ የዘላለም መሰናክል እንደሚሆንም መገንዘብ አስፈላጊ ነው።  

 መደመር አስፈላጊ ነው (We must unite)

ለነቀፋ ሳይሆን ይህን በየጊዜው በመረዳትና ካየናቸው ትዝብቶች በዚህ ዓይነት ጎልቶ የሚታየውን የግለሰባችንንና የሕብረተሰባችንን ችግር በግልጽ ለማሳወቅና እነዚህም ወገኖቻችንና ግለሰቦቻችን ሁሌ የሚያደርጉትን የተደጋገመ አላስፈላጊ ትችቶቻቸውንና አሽሙሮቻቸውን በማስተዋል፣ ድርጊታቸውን ማድረግ እንደነበረባቸውና እንዳልነበረባቸው የራሳቸውን ኅሊና በመጠየቅ ዘወትር ይህንኑ ዘዴ በማዘውተር ደጋግመው እራሳቸውን በጥሩ መንፈስ ለመለወጥ ስለሚችሉ ከልብ ያለንን የግል የኅሊና ንቃት አስተሳሰብ አስተያየታችንን ስናካፍላቸው/ችሁ በደስታ ነው።

በዚህ በአዲስቷ ኢትዮጵያ ከፍለ ዘመን የሚያዋጣን ተደምረን፣ ተስማምተን፣ ተፈቃቅረን መኖር ብቻ ነው።

 

መልካም ዕድል!



IDEAS TO UNITE US

More explanations on the recently posted comments of “MEDMER IS A UNITING NEW ABIYOT” - https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2019/11/medemer-is-uniting-new-abiyot.html

To Ermias’, a former player and member of Ethiopian national football team & a good friend of mine for a long time, remarks response and benefit all others who might have similar or their own side of comments who are modest and coy as always and reserved themselves scared of the maltreatments by others, this details hopefully, should justify their intended queries and curiosities.

Hi brother Ermias, thank you for your opinion regarding this sensitive issue that have come to light by our own sister, Toltu Tufa. We both know how our unity is important as we’ve been instrumental in uniting our community that served all Ethiopians. As we’ve also seen in many occasions in the eroding conditions of our members carrying their cultural stigma with them to this day. However, nothing altered our solidarity determined to keep our community that maintained to serve all Ethiopians. Please, understand young Toltu and try to grasp all the messages, before trying to punch the messengers, relating to this sensitive issue.

Sorry, Ermias, for taking your time to read overly written reply to your opinion. I needed to carefully explain this touchy subject carefully without taking any sides as I never did and never will. We are in a different century now, not 13^th, 14^th, or 17^th century, where people of all races are tied together in all sorts of interactions. Denial of anything is not a solution to our problems, but mistakes done by all parties and time to move forward to build new venues that can take all of us where we wanted to go. 

Please, also I suggest you read all the given sites for more clarification. I also trust you that you’ve read the other sites to answer your remarks about Europeans changing their names, which actually happens all around the world. However, my point is not about changing names, it’s about the significance of changing names in order to have all the social status, belonging, success in life and among others. There’s nothing fabricated about all these incidents taking place in our country and I’m not perturbed about all our past dead issues, but we can’t deny this sort of disparities have existed in all of Ethiopia irrespective of one ethnic group. However, you and people like you who have lived different lifestyles would not realize and feel the pain of the less fortunate.

Every time we Ethiopians discuss issues of cultural belonging and talking about concerns, we tend to take sides and label each other unnecessarily. However, as you know, I have never fallen, irrespective of the juicy remarks people make, in the issues of ethnic trap and I always, unequivocally, valued myself as a passionate Ethiopian who struggled so much to bring all our people together, but because of our upbringing cultural endemic problems of shunning and favouritism, enforced into an inescapable desertion like the rest of people who have done so.

The fallacy of identity politics is its mishandling that created our disunity and ethno-cracy instead of democracy. Take for example someone who was born in Addis Ababa (a cosmopolitan city by all account) whose parents came from two distinct ethnic heritages - say Amara and Oromo- and yet the only language s/he has spoken is Amharic. Which ethnic group this person ought to be “allocated”? What if by virtue of his/her upbringing and the multicultural environment of his/her surroundings s/he does not feel allegiance to any of his/her parent’s ethnic heritage? The issue could be complicated even more if we add to the mix of the unavoidable dynamics of intermarriage with other group that constitute the Ethiopian cultural mosaic. I can go on with other complex scenarios, but there is no need to press the point further, for only in the context of democracy that the questions of choice arises.

With all the chaos and horror of Cultural Revolution, it’s not something to be engaged in lightly, but it’s sometimes necessary. Error necessitates sacrifice to correct it and serious error necessitates serious sacrifice. To accept the truth means to sacrifice and if we’ve rejected the truth for a long time, then we’ve run-up a dangerously large sacrificial debt.

Forest fires burn out deadwood and return trapped elements to the soil. Sometimes, however, fires are suppressed, unnaturally. That doesn’t stop the deadwood from accumulating. Sooner or later, a fire will start. When it does, it will burn so hot that everything will be destroyed, even the soil in which the forest grows. Please, refrain yourself from misinterpreting this as a support for any revolt against society. Far from it, I don’t condone any violence to achieve peace or personal gain.

When we hear something incomprehensibly brutal, such ideas have manifested themselves. There’s no blaming any of this on unconsciousness, either, or repression. The process of bureaucratic stagnation and oppression is in the process and we’ve contributed by pretending everything is/was ok in the past. We couldn’t complain then, why not now? Why not take a stand about the issues we care about? If we do, other people, equally afraid to speak up, may come to our defence. And if not, maybe it’s time to transform. Good on you for making your point.

Moral problems, repression and lies by both individual and society warp the structure of Being and corrupt us all.

I’ve repeatedly observed the transformation of more existential desolation into outright hell by betrayal and deceit. Old enough to observe all the scenarios unfold. Obsessed by our unresolved past, we gather like ghosts around the deathbed, forcing tragedy into an unholy liaison with cowardice and resentment.

Even well lived lives can, of course, be warped, hurt and twisted by maltreatment and infirmity and uncontrollable catastrophe. The difficulties intrinsic to life itself are sufficient to weaken and overwhelm each of us, pushing us beyond our limits, breaking us at our weakest point. Not even the best lived life provides an absolute defence against vulnerability.

But the society that fights in the ruins of their earthquake devastated dwelling place is much less likely to rebuild than the society that are united and made strong by mutual trust and devotion. The honest human spirit may continually fail in its attempts to bring about paradise on earth. It may manage, however, to reduce the suffering associated on existence to a bearable level with communal allegiance.

The tragedy of Being is the consequence of our limitations and the vulnerability defining human experience. With love, encouragement and character intact, we can be resilient beyond imagining. What can’t be borne, however, is the absolute ruin produced by tragedy and deception.

The western world wrapped a dream like fantasy about the nature of evil around its central religious core. That fantasy had a protagonist, an adversarial personality, absolutely dedicated to the corruption of Being.  

Remember, it’s deceit that makes people miserable beyond what they can bear. It’s deceit that fills human souls with resentment and vengefulness. It’s deceit that killed hundreds of millions of people in so many of the wars. It’s deceit that still threatens us, most profoundly, today.

We must, always, remember that every difference of opinion & ideology is not a difference of principle and shouldn’t be construed as a personal vendetta and all opinions should be discussed or expressed with respect.

If there is one thing I detest and reject in the diaspora Ethiopians, its political bluffing, power mongering, egos and self-promotion/centeredness and hypocrisy. Breaking up, narrow group think, personality worships, nepotism, arrogance, enviousness, hidden agendas, one group trying to undermine the other and so on will not advance the common cause and or respond to the unity of our people, especially, the new breed of future generations.

Playing the ethnic card game is to fall victim to destructive identity politics that breeds division, hatred, conflict, and cynicism.

It is common to read history backward and assume that a particular group is destined to become dominant, but conflict is part of the historical narrative and as such unavoidable part of human experience marked by complex relations and a never ending alternation between the oppressed and oppressors, families, friends and foes. A significant component of the walls of suspicion and hatred among us is the baggage that we carry in the form of historical narrative and particularly a deterministic notion of identity. I am not in any way suggesting we should not be unmoved by the past history of suffering and humiliation. After all, our experiences and memories help to shape our identity. Only by acknowledging our historical legacy, even when it might be painful, can we come to terms with our past as a way to better understand ourselves, identify our weaknesses and strengths and bridging the divide to a better future for all Ethiopians by challenging abusers, appreciating our diversity and bestowing our unity.

However, when we let our ego convince us that we have done no wrong and instead of repent begin to justify our actions, then we have chosen a state of denial over truth, flesh over Spirit. If we consciously war against our conscience, refuse to repent, ask for forgiveness and doing the right thing, choosing rather to justify our actions by whatever theory we can come up with allowing our ego defeat our conscience.

We might choose to go to war with our morality and reassure ourselves with our ego by saying… it was not my fault, I was born this way, it is genetic, my father or mother was this way, I was abused as a child, God made me to act this way…, it is a way of life – all men or women do this –everybody is doing it and so forth.

The list of excuses we might come up with abounds, every time we justify our sinful actions for self-glorification, it seems our ruthless ego (opinion of ourselves) has defeated our humane conscience to value somebody else’s good thoughts.

Don’t get me wrong, brother Ermias, you probably have seen it or sensed this action was taking place and there is nothing negative about telling the truth, “nothing but the truth”, rather than pretend and act as everything is hunky-dory.

Remember, we may not have the prestige of celebrities, the power of Pope or all other academic luminaries, but our differences of opinion and stories are unique and equally valued, effective and say something no one has expressed before. So, we all can make comments as one Ethiopians about the problems that hamper our transformation.

I take my hats off to those who are being resilient to care and share to disseminate what will be pivotal information for all of us to learn our past and absorb all as much as we can and put out the valued side of story and correct the blemished with good intentions in order to walk together.

The realities today are different than they were five, ten or twenty or fifty years ago. Aligning one’s thinking and actions with the changing times (realities) and circumstances is a sign of wisdom and humane maturity.

Let’s not waste time, it is time to stand with new reformers, rather than throwing barrages of unwarranted criticisms, cynicisms, envies, nepotisms & preferences, which honestly stand for all of us irrespective of one’s ethnic or racial backgrounds.

Let’s march together by joining “MEDEMER”.

More on Ermias’ contributions: https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-commencing-of-african-soccer-clubs.html

MEDEMER IS A UNITING NEW ABIYOT

WHATEVER HAPPENED WAS HISTORY, NOW MEDEMER IS THE ONLY CHOICE TO OVERCOME THAT.

Toltu Tofa's Story on the Project

As I see all sorts of commentaries filled with emotional remarks to refuse our own young Toltu Tufa’s personal axioms that are partly overstated on top of the stories she’s learned from her father. Mind you, you’ve not been there to know what her father has been through in his life back home. It's easy to mock someone else until you've lived in their shoes for a while.

The same is rue, as hard as it is to live with disability, you cannot feel what someone is going through in their daily lives unless you’re faced with one.

One thing is for sure, the idea of power by any ethnic group in control is omnipotent. The Oromos or any other ethnic groups may not be extremely subjugated to use their own language, however, unless they speak the national language(Amharic) and have names related to this group, their chances of transformation in their lives is redundant or marginal. Let’s be frank on this, unless you’re from the ruling racial background and you’re new to this pervasive experience and don’t have inkling whatsoever, the same goes for you not to criticize young Toltu for her stories are a personal determination to bring it to light, a reflection of her dad’s story of perseverance through the years as she was told. The new breed of generations may not know what has happened long ago as the current condition repudiates these disparities and has transformed principles even though the ruling regimes are trying to play the same old strategies to rule.

Please, continue reading the more relevantly expressed observations, while ago, in all of the following sites:
https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2016/10/blog-post.html BEKKA https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2009/07/need-to-forge-bonds-in-diaspora.html https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2008/04/we-all-are-ethiopians.html https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2009/04/change-of-heart-and-attitude.html

https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2009/06/time-for-change.html
https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-launching-of-ethiopian-community.html

LET'S NOT LIVE IN THE PAST!
ETHIOPIA FIRST!
R-E-S-P-E-C-T NEXT!

ALL PEOPLE'S PRIME MINISTER

LET'S ALL NOT TAKE SIDES, BUT STAND UP TO THE PROBLEM.

ETHIOPIANS

As Dr. Berhanu Nega undeniably and bluntly put it, “He doesn’t think his sense of Ethioipiawinet is as strong as Dr. Abiy’s”. Thank you for your honesty, brother. Is there any other with a better alternative who can build a better bridge? We’ve not seen so far, except jingoistic and juxtaposition talking misfit doodlebugs mesmerizing our people for their notoriety.

TRULY: BERHANU NEGA

The biggest challenge facing the future of democracy in Ethiopia is indeed this notion of ethnic entitlement and the division of federalism.

We can respect and allow all equitable benefits without losing our identity and nationality as Ethiopian.

PRIME MINISTER FOR ALL: ABIY AHMED

“While alive we are Ethiopians and when we die we become Ethiopia!” –Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia

A very empowering and inspiring thought that will enlighten the down trodden.
His greatest achievements will also put him above any contender who can passionately care for his country.

STRONG UNITY: PM ABIY AHMED

The current ill-conceived ethnic federalism imposed by the TPLF is immoral and unacceptable. A federal system that takes into account the geography, history, and culture of all Ethiopians is more sustainable. As Ethiopians, we should all be proud and embrace diversity.

The need for unity and transformation is greater than ever and all efforts must be made to bring people together in the pursuit of freedom through democracy, rule of law, justice and equality to achieve a real change and a better outcome in election 2020.

ETHIOPIAWINET IS ADDICTION: LEMMA MEGERSA

With all our abundant scholars and skillful luminaries we have in recent years, we seem to lack the drive, personality and willpower apart from sticking our fingers up for hasty criticisms that have no value and bring solutions to the ongoing pandemonium.

When the power of love overcomes the love for power our people will know peace and a good leader.

We also need to be mindful that we don’t aggravate the already volatile situation by taking sides and allowing favouritism. We need to support whoever is making untenable mistakes as a human fallibility and should be corrected respectfully as part of the crusading operation for change.



NO ONE IS BETTER AND ABOVE THE LAW

The root cause of the problem must be unraveled and resolved first: a leader elected for the people, by the people and from any people–ethnic background. That’s the root of the problem and that’s what we fail to accept as one people and one country.

APPRECIATE OUR DIVERSITY

Prime Minister Abiy started his new deal of transformation with love and compassion without imprisonment and absence of freedom. Sadly, the habit of fixing everything with violence still unabated in our culture and understandably people demanded law and order to be imposed by the modern day pacifist Prime Minister. Then, when he acted to restore law and order punishing those who took advantage of his soft side, again, some people took offense and grilled his ethnicity as a reason to slander him.

                                  UNITY NOT ETHNOCRACY 

“ለምንሰራው ሥራ ሁሉ እየተወቃቀስንና እይተታቸን መሻሻል አንችልም።”

This is the man who really understands and able to put himself in others shoes with no hesitation, because he’s been, you name it, through it all and has the tenacity, resilience and determination to change any harsh conditions.

“If you want to have a better performance than the crowd, you must do things differently from the crowd.” –John Templeton

Besides the Prime Minister, there are lots of people who have contributed to our social cohesion in their own way and need to be recognized open-mindedly. It’s not a conducive strategy to vent or throw tantrum on anyone because they didn’t not act or fulfil the way we’ve expected.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught, “Always avoid violence. If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.”

WE ARE MANY BUT ONE

Unless the people of Ethiopia can agree on the principles, values and structures that are essential to implement the key ingredients of inclusive values and principles, there will never be peaceful efforts to reform our nation.

No matter what has happened in the past, good or bad, we can’t obliterate history, what we can do, nevertheless, is forgive and move on knowing that the benefits are much greater than playing politics in a continuous vicious cycle to fix the past hefty maltreatments and other misdemeanors with so much unsubstantiated mendacities.

“When you forgive, you in no way change the past, but you sure do change the future.”

Our old habits can get so deeply engrained in us that they affect our attitude and rational at a social or organizational level.

    To criticize is easy, to unite our culture is demanding: Prof Berhanu Nega

Our country desperately needs a renaissance, strong-willed leader, true development built on a firm foundation of human rights, inclusions and political pluralisms. Human development that caters to the needs of all our people, not only the economic growth based on a prescribed on the outdated, unjust economic model, which inevitably benefits a few, strengthens inequality, fosters corruptions and tribalism.

If we’ve learned to eat together, we can learn to work together.

It is time to stand together with new reformers who honestly stand for all of us irrespective of one’s ethnic or racial backgrounds rather than throwing barrages of unwarranted criticisms, cynicisms, envies, nepotisms & preferences. Remember, this vicious cycle will happen again and again and again no matter who will be elected from any ethnic background unless we tackle problems civilly, accept and respect their democratic policies & their ethnicities.

ETHIOPIA BELONGS TO ALL OF US

We say to those at home and abroad who harbor hate and tribal divisions to give it up and join our journey of one thousand miles, TODAY.

Let’s all cherish and follow the “Medemer” phenomenon in the making and move forward peacefully.

Let’s also concentrate on the actions of Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, as action speaks far better than his very poignant and persuasive speeches to win all Ethiopian multi-ethnic nationals to work together in the spirit of Ethiopiawinet, wisely.

ONE ETHIOPIA FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE ETHIOPIA

WHO CAN WE TRUST SAGA

Men At The Right Time, The Right Place And For The Right Reasons

During their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised a black-gloved fist salute during the playing of the US national anthem. The two athletes fell into the center of a churning controversy for their salute as a symbol of black power and the human rights movement in America at large.

Silver medalist Peter Norman, a white Australian runner, didn’t raise his fist that day, but he stood with Smith and Carlos.
Peter Norman is standing still. He has just run second in the 200 meters at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

At the medal receiving podium, behind him are Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos. They bow their heads and raise their leather-gloved fists in a black power salute to protest racism and advocate for civil rights.

We must also not forget that this whole scenario was taking place at a time when his country was practicing white Australia policy.

As we can see, he didn’t raise his hands like his opponents did. What else did he do besides standing there starkly to deserve all the accolades?
History celebrates Peter Norman, not for his courage to support the two men, for his gallantly overcoming giants of the games, winning the silver medal and above all, being there standing alongside American heroic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos who stood tall for humanity.

Norman was unmoving but he stood with Smith and Carlos by wearing an Olympic task for human rights badge alongside his silver medal. This was an attendance that changed his life.

A statue of the full podium, with Smith and Carlos without Norman, was erected at the runners' alma mater, San Jose State University in California, USA.

1968 Mexico Olympics, Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos raise gloved hands

In Australia, Norman’s recognition, statue in his Olympic honor and the rest of public reputation, is his presence at the right time, the right place and for the right reasons that remembers him as the other different mortal that stood alongside the great African-Americans who courageously represented their people for equal rights.

If you haven’t already read “WHO CAN WE TRUST”, read collections of commentaries here: https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-can-we-trust.html

Speaking and being truthful to evade immoral ambiences.

If you’ve been living under the impression that we live in a post-racial society, this post & the recommended reads might make you uncomfortable as I assume is made evident by the title, but I think it’s worth the discomfort, so I hope you stick with it. At the very least, I hope that it starts a conversation or more sustained thoughts on the topic of race and the ways in which we are all affected by racism.

Not just a matter of individuals’ racist beliefs and actions, there is racism on the individual level and racism on the systemic level. When we talk about white supremacists and the actions of racist individuals, which is on the individual level. But systemic racism doesn’t require that all white people are racist individuals.

Every time someone from the opposite racial background tells a true story about something, why can’t we see it as simple personal opinion even if we don’t like to accept the truth? Similarly, we should not cover up the truth in order to protect the ongoing inequalities that have happened for so long.

The dissemination of fake racial news & media that perpetuates negative stereotypes about black people while simultaneously spreading positive stereotypes about white people and how this works to uphold the status quo that is systemic racism is individual’s interpretation.

1968 Mexico Olympic Mural of Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Mind you, this event was reported at the time when media reports were mainly from one racial group over the other as most reporters of the time were from white racial society. Please, think about the truth of the matter instead of the manner in which the truth is presented, nothing, but the truth where everyone is adamant to talk about racial differences, especially, the painful years. Certainly, don’t intend to dwell in the past implications that have been unsympathetically hard-pressed upon black people as a result of utter ignorance and personal gain and expansionism.  

It’s not hard to see even in our modern day racial equality is at its utmost weakening point, but hard to discern with the necked eye as its operational cycle has become elusive and tremendously implicit. We can see some visibility in the media outlets where most white retired sport’s personalities have the opportunity to become media commentators while those from Indigenous and the nation’s resident blacks don’t share that opportunity. This is just one small tip of the iceberg misfortune out of the many disproportions that you probably know. However, lest we forget, things are changing at the speed of a turtle.

Please, don’t get angry. This reality existed and still remains to exist, unless we share the dilemma and do our part to live together in harmony. Why is it so hard to talk to white people about racism? If talking about racism bothers you, and you often find yourself feeling angry and defensive, this might be the read for you.

The half-truths and ridiculous misconceptions that have thoroughly corrupted the way race are represented in the classroom, pop culture, media, and politics. Centuries after some nations were founded on genocide, settler colonialism, and slavery, many of these people maybe waking up to the reality that the racial politics are still proliferating implicitly. But in the midst of this reckoning, widespread denial and misunderstandings about race persist, even as white supremacy and racial injustice are more visible than ever before.

The truth is urgently needed for our racist relatives, friends or bosses and a call to action for everyone who wants to challenge white supremacy and intersectional oppression in our society.

Racism should have no place in our lives, and should never be condoned. Education is our best means of combating ignorance and prejudice. It is so important to teach our children the value of cultural harmony, and if we infuse their learning process with these lessons, we will only be stronger in our campaign to eradicate racism from society.

Racism and any immoral ambience are disgusting and many people are completely aware of this and yet it remains to occur in society. Racism is ugly and it is something that will not go away until action is taken by everyone who is aware of how bad it has gotten. Don’t judge, this is the truth and exact observations of what has occurred and remains till this day, do something about it.

All schools should be prepared to accept and respect multicultural ideals and maintain its outlined principles as an ongoing harmonious contribution and agreement for students from different racial and religious backgrounds in order to lessen the torments and damages racism causes.

Prejudice is destructive in all its forms, especially racism. We all have the responsibility to break down the ignorant prejudices that dominate the beliefs of so many Australians. We must initiate to speak out whenever we witness racism and to educate those around us. Speak up, the truth!

If you act properly, your actions allow you to be psychologically integrated now and tomorrow and into the future while you benefit yourself, your family, your environment and that reverberating to the whole world. If you decide that you are not justified in your resentment of Racism, despite its inequity and pain, you may come to notice things you could do to reduce by a bit some unnecessary pain and suffering.

Ask yourself, “What should I do today, to make it better?” Guided by love and speaking truth and if you attend to some moral obligations, you will experience and find an ever deepening meaning. It’s not bliss. It’s not happiness. It’s something more like atonement for the criminal fact of your fractured and damaged Being. It’s payment of the debt you owe for the insane and horrible miracle of your existence. It’s how you make amends for the pathology of history.

We cannot get sick enough to help sick people get better. We cannot get poor enough to help poor people thrive. We can’t be bigoted to feel the empathy. It is only in our thriving that we have anything to offer anyone. If we want to be of an advantage to others, be as tapped in, tuned in and turned on as we can possibly be.

LET’S ALL NOT TAKE SIDES OR CONDONE IT

WELL, WELL, WELL…May I say
Like my generations, I grew up in a multi-ethnic culture and loved it deeply to this day. Unlike some of my generations, I said some because of our old-school generational tolerance to changes, learning a positive attitude and honestly and decently expressing the truth goes a long way in achieving knowledge and mental peace in my over 40 years mindfulness practice and thereby keeping grounded by managing my own stress, free of any restraints. I promptly transformed myself to be able to adapt with the rapidly changing social orders of the Western World and beliefs without stubbornly staying with my old safe haven traditional social creeds. I stand back but not remain silent and don’t let the daily hassles grind me down. It’s too easy to become angry and cynical. There are millions of reasons and excuses not to do things without hating anybody out of the ordinary.

You don’t have to hate someone or be abusive to speak up and tell the truth about your opinions that are nothing to do with being negative or even swearing without finger pointing at anybody.

I say to those people who are suffering from society’s positive syndrome, don’t give a f#%k, it’s time to open up your mouth and tell the truth without fear of recrimination. I certainly don’t. Don’t what? Don’t give a f#%k for telling the truth without losing my humility because I honestly started swearing off my frustrations and disappointments without directing at anybody. Do you know what I mean? I don’t give a f#%k.

Please, don’t get me wrong that I’m angry or there’s something wrong with me. You don’t know me, so, don’t judge and disappoint me more. Even if you do, I’m not the same anymore, I got older and…; you know what I mean. I don’t give a f#%k. I’m just opening up an honest reflection of communications without withholding spirited opinions for fear of being judged or hated by others.

So, don’t point your finger at me, you don’t know me. Either empathise with me or follow your parental or environmental upbringing to continue doing with no remorse. Kids follow their parents’ practices and people in general learn from other people how strangers treat strangers/others. It’s a vicious cycle to follow. Hate, love and racism are all learned behaviours.

Have you ever noticed that hate and racism are learned behaviours? I agree that hate and racism are learned behaviours and unfortunately they start at a very young age.

Think about it; if you’re raised and have seen everyone being treated in the same way and looked at other person’s skin and started to view, interpret and define your world, you have learned a bad habit. The trends of educations and all good or bad intentions that we have learned as a child will stay with us for life.

I have been looking for something that proves that one is born racist and it has proved nothing. In order to determine if someone is born racist, they must be put in neutral environment and then see how they react to another race. All they have shown is that people can be influenced by their relatives and environments at an early age to be racist, good or bad, haters or lovers, alcoholic, become addicts and all the other behavioural tendencies.

I defiantly come to an agreement with those evaluations because children’s thoughts are based on the thoughts of their parents, family members, peers, media, environments, and among others.

Like every migrants, I respected the law of this land, appreciated this country for allowing me to sworn into be part of its society and pay my allegiance during citizenship ceremony to obey and honour all the regulations befitting my rights. However, like the majority of migrants, I was pressured by society in my day-to-day dealings to renounce my parental given name to a more simplistic, fitting & familiar Anglo-Saxon name in order to earn a decent assimilation. Like all migrants who came to this country, of course, with the exclusion of the first arrivals, I didn’t change the nation’s culture, names of places & decimate existing ones except enhancing a rainbow of multinational and multicultural aspirations trying to fit in in order to live in harmony.

The pressure of changing the birthright name, no matter what, is an unacceptable deal in any society. Remember, we needed to change the thoughts NOT the names. That should be the Holy Grail rule.

To put the story in perspective, this dilemma of the Western world unable to or don’t want to say other names other than the familiar Anglo-Saxon labels started in my first destination in Europe and my friends seemed happy and even related my new name with stars of the times. Please, continue reading the full story: https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com.au/2008/04/self-revelation.html

Absolutely, avoid judging anybody you don’t know. As for me, you have no idea what a f#%k has been happening in my life since my birth.

In life, like everything else, change is a vital course of existence. If changing everyone’s given name is an acceptable way of life, why can’t we change history of the old badges of honours & make a reputable transformation for our country? We all change as time goes on, so is the rebuilding of the nation after natural devastation, invasion and unification with another nation. Whatever happened eons ago are history whether migration or invasion; it can’t be redeemed. However, one thing is certain that we all can change.

Please, contain yourselves from being hatemongering and antagonist for having or showing my different views than yours and making any assumptions to judge me and for what I stand for because whatever you say wouldn’t be a characterization of my persona. We all can have different opinion without contentions. It’s just my genuine worthwhile insights, observations, thought provoking submissions and propositions for change and I don’t mean to offend anyone for no apparent reasons. I hope you think and focus on the subject matter not the messenger. I treat and respect all people with my solid course of action of mind over matter. If they’re not likewise, I don’t mind & they don’t matter.

We must live an authentic life in an authentic fashion. It’s a sensible thing to do in the digital age technology where everybody is wirelessly connected, somehow, NOT connecting.

We must be brave and prepared to be hated for being authentic than loved for being dishonest. Being honest may not also get us many friends but it will always get us the right ones. As it’s the case in the social media likes and shares outlets/posts/events.

Positivity is an endearing passion and humility without the pressure of political correctness that takes all the realities and jokes out of life and life out of everything.

This leads me to talk the truth about the AFLW player, young Tayla Harris who was being immortalised on statue in Melbourne’s CBD recently. If this doesn’t show the reflection side of racism, what will?

My intent is to provide analytical opinions for the society, who believes in one common cause, communal transformations, one country and a unified multicultural population whose hopes and aspirations for justice, freedom and opportunity are similar and equally distributed regardless of ethnicity, race where they came from and religious practices.

As Derryn Hinch used to say “Shame, shame, shame”, on his National Current Affairs TV debuts, I also say, shame on the instigators, for putting the young Harris through this nightmare at a time of her emerging livelihood.

The Carlton player’s famous airborne kick, which triggered a social media storm and trolls in March, is getting a statue for facing famous trolls and sexists online. What seemed funny at the time gone spiral as a media stunt making her candidate for the unearned/undeserved fame?

The question is the 22 years old’s statue isn't justified, for a footballer who has played just very few AFLW games and kicked fewer than her time, ahead of other Australian greatest athletes such as Cathy Freeman, Jeff Fenech, Anthony Mundine  and Adam Goodes among others with no reputable statue or status. Sorry, if I make your eyebrows raise and jaws drop. Sorry is also an ostentatious and contentious gesture they’ve been offered, to hush-up more complaint from happening, but didn’t translate into practice. Hey, I don’t give a f#%k! That’s the truth!

Aha, the swearing (f#%k) I’m making is also a natural course of life until someone changed it into an abusive and aggressive behavior/manner and it became unacceptable. How about if it was accepted traditionally as a way of life not to be bothered or understanding it not as an abuse but considering it as something we all use to go on living. The damage is already done, but we can unlearn it. More on that on another day!

 As for the above mentioned indigenous stars, they are the people who made a difference not only in their field of endeavours but also speaking up as strong advocates in the community in which their people live as a second class citizen.

How about all the other AFL players, the VWFL, players, the SANFL players and the WAFL players who have been playing long before her?

Harris herself commented on Triple M radio, “I haven't done anything to warrant a statue as a footballer in my footballing achievements, but I have been involved in something that was a movement”.

That’s probably a different development of actions against women’s sexual harassment; she’s talking about, collaborating two entirely different causes. Honestly, definitely, her little experience and fewer goals kicking persona can’t be an amassed justification to present her with a statue only to encourage more abuses for using her to promote the highly regarded and praiseworthy cause.

We all have been following traditional & cultural lines of misguided or the not so favourable practices of beliefs or many sorts that our fore parents did for the same motives. That’s the very reason I don’t feel any animosity against our fellow human beings for tragic errors of the past. However, it’s absolutely disheartening not to do anything but we’ve an abundant and wasted opportunity to destroy our world.

A better and more peaceful world can only be attained by societies developing basic principles of altruism, supporting others thru individual empowerment, practicing non-violence and self-development thru inner transformation.

There will be times when we shouldn’t compromise our core values, our integrity, and we should have the moral responsibility to speak up in the face of injustice.

It’s not rational anymore to accept that the “Western” world is democratic and the rest is “Undemocratic”. This is a misconception that merely rests on vindictive thinking of dichotomy and things don’t have to be accepted just the way it is anymore. 

The rule of law or democracy is not an advantage that we can automatically get because we are in a certain environmental location or upbringing. It is rather an innate virtue we all humans are entitled to enjoy. If we accept anything that’s just the way it is, nothing will change and neither can we.

Let’s all not take sides or condone it, but stand up to the problem.

Let’s do our part!

Say no to racism!

Stop the violence!

All lives do matter!