Selam Wud-Zegoch,
After the last blog post, some of you emailed me raged about my expressions of Ethiopia-winet , some of you though, appreciated and commented that I might use less harsher words.
Both comments taken: the good critique and the bad ones too.
Before I go on posting today’s blog, I would like to re-emphasize endegena that the only intention of
ethiomind is not to impose any form of judgment and criticize the very essence of Ethiopiawinet , but rather to empower it and possibly to shine a light on the weak shadow that always haunts us – ethiopia-yawians.
In-fact I learn long ago that he who judges will not be excluded to be measured himself with the same ruler that he is using to measure others. Pointing one finger outward implies pointing three folded fingers to self…………. And as we know “… he who judges….”
So, I go …. Blogging again…
Let’s talk about the notion: “I’m better than you and better than all. Me and my family are the most talented, the most educated, the wealthiest of the society. Ohh, no I can do better than him, this is nothing, it is not his work, I went to blah blah private school or I was in blah blah sefer, ohh I don’t associate with habesha people, ohh in my sefer there is no black people even habesha…”
I want to approach this subject from inside out. As mentioned in the past article, identity is the fabric that we are made of. The creator made us different to b-e-a-u-t-f-y us … not to divide us, not to disguise us, not to empower some to be above others….. With out unity, identity is in crisis.
The plague that has invaded us “ethiopia-wians” is not only in our external interaction amongst our own race or others, but it is prevalent amongst ones closet family.
This might not apply 100% for all families (as it is not un-unchanged yemaylewet word of God), yes it is true some families have managed to go above and beyond the weak competitive attitude. ALL POWER TO THEM – we all should learn from them.
It is my belief that society is the grand sum of families, where as families are a collection of close siblings and extended ties. If we take a single habesha family (as a nucleus); at times it is full of competition, jealousy, pull downs and immeasurable turmoil. What I experienced and observed with my interaction with many other sidete-gnoch what haunts us day and night is the ever growing guilt trip and snare that has been imposed from our own family ties.
The result is that we have thousands of Ethiopians living in the land of opportunity, living below the poverty line. In the land of free, modern day slaves to some menial, back breaking jobs just trying to fulfill some greedy un-understanding family member who is creating havoc to a sidetegna soul.
Here I want to emphasize few things; I AM NOT SAYING THAT HELPING FAMILY IS WRONG; I’M NOT SAYING THAT DOING MENIAL JOBS ARE WRONG. I help my family every day; first by not being a burden on them, second by doing every possible thing that I can with out jeopardizing my existence.
As far as menial jobs go, I have done it all – but as a means to my end – temporarily. Then I moved forward….. forward
The saddest part of it all is that, after sidetegnaw sew creating all this show and drama to satisfy a selfish, jealous sibling back home or elsewhere, there is no gratefulness and encouraging words that come out to refuel his exhausted soul. But, rather dissatisfaction. Which is a major cause of loss of energy, time and a useful lifespan ---- the cycle goes on.
An inquiry mind wants to know – WHY???? How many are touched by this? ( bet yikuterew )
Why can’t family members be happy for one’s achievement, one’s effort, one’s success… why are many people rejoice in hidden for the failure of the other. Yewedeke zaf misar yibezabetal
Of course, there is always an exception to everything and anything…. I want to learn from that, we all should learn from that –I applaud the positive outcome.
There is no individual success and achievement, with out a strong supportive family as a backbone.
Next I will blog on …. Veering off- of individual-to-family to a family-to-society tie.
So, hang on… write back
Selam Qwou.
( ethiomind@gmail.com)
