Harry Terhanian.com

Ahseghuh ouhr vohr mudneh, tehrtzahnuh yehdehvehn gehrtah

huhrrahshk cheh vor mehr ahsskuh tuhshnahmeeehn vehrahprehtzav, huhrrahsk ayn eh vor mehr yehgahvarnehren vehrahprehtzank

Armenians have somehow survived through many invasions of marauding armies. They have often been massacred and disseminated. Yet, they seem to be able to reconstitute themselves and continue their existence as a nation even being spread all over the world. Armenians have been seriously hampered by poor leadership. There are many unsung heroes who have sacrificed everything for their nation. Yet, it is not clear if the Armenians have had competent leadership especially in modern times. The last leader of any real consequence was King Dickran or Dickran the Great. After him the nation has been in gradual decline. The Armenian Church has been the de facto leader of the nation through most of modern times from its inception to the present. There have been different political groups that arose under the Ottoman yoke but they were for the most part ineffective in changing the destiny of the people. They were outsmarted consistently by the Turks.

I want to discuss what it means to be the leader of a nation. A leader must lead by example for example is better than precept. His example should inspire people to seek the spiritual goal of life. AT the same time, he should inspire the people to live a peaceful and honorable life with emphasis on execution of duty, honest work, and always respectful of all living beings. Unless the leader is willing to sacrifice to attain these goals, the people will not be very serious for such goals. A leader should comport himself as a loving parent for his people. In other words, his primary concern is the spiritual and material welfare of the people in that order. Unless there is emphasis on spiritual life, the people will gradually become very materialistic and ignore for lack of training the finer qualities of life like empathy, compassion, respect, humility, and reliance on spiritual knowledge and authority as one’s guide in life. The leader should be a spiritual and philosophical person whose ultimate responsibility is to lead people back to the kingdom of God.

Being strict with oneself and tolerant of others is the hallmark of a leader and not being tolerant of oneself and strict with others. One’s example of self restraint and personal austerity for a higher cause serves as an example for others.One must not demand respect but command it by example.

There are certain principles of a progressive life that includes things to do and things not to do. A leader can inspire people in the “dos” and “don’ts” of life. The “don’ts” include no meat, fish, or eggs and no illicit sexual connections and no intoxication and no gambling or philosophical speculation.
By giving these things up one begins a progressive life of self improvement and spiritual enlightenment. The “dos” entail eating only sanctified food that has been prepared with love for God and made as an offering of vegetarian dishes. Eating the remnants of such offering purify the body and mind. Regularly chanting the names of God according to the Psalms to glorify God and regularly hearing the Holy scriptures purify the mind and enlightens one with the fundamental understanding that we are all subordinate to the will of God. Offering our service to God in the church or other spiritual organizations on a regular and voluntary basis. These “dos and don’ts” are the basic practices to grow and blossom in one’s spiritual life. Following these principles leads to a strong sense of duty and dedication and faithfulness, courage, steadiness, uprightness, and fearless execution of responsibilities. All these qualities make people into serious members of stable families, loyal citizens of a state, and steady, honest workers in society. When the leader inspires the people to follow the universal principles of religion which are: austerity, cleanliness, truthfulness and mercy, then the citizens are prone to so nice as to encourage the leader to do better and better. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that eliminates envy, lust, greed and all the qualities that cause dissension in society.