I love Ethiopia!...? – Part II

I love Ethiopia! … Really? – Part II


“The men who followed Him were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same. “Billy Graham

In part I of the “I love Ethiopia” series I attempted to inquire the exact texture of the love we claim we have for our country. We have the type of patriotism that boils our blood in the notion of protecting the mother land. Our tear bags broke loose when we watch the Teddy Afro’s Anbessa Youtube Clip . We are full of enlivened when we refer to our new year or the idea of ‘hager alegn’ slogan. It is all good!

If this burning passion of our upbringing, our communal identity, our protectiveness of the historical heritage we inherited; if this deep sense of ‘love for Ethiopia’ can’t compelled us to strive to make our Ethiopia the best and the greatest, then it is an illusion of a passive love that has no real impact aside from the ‘move-screen’ display it is being played. I used the quote “He loves his country best who strives to make it best” to make a point that our sense of love is measured by how much engaged we are in making Ethiopia the best.
Our Communal identity, in my opinion, is both our blessing and our curse. Our attachment enables us to dine together, to celebrate together, and to cry together; but it seems to lack to enable us to work together, to strive together or to envision together. It is sad but true that at times I have seen our “Ethiopian” people joining hands with our enemies in an attempt to ‘destroy’ the ruling governance. Little they know they are carelessly destroying the nation and its resource that can lift up their livelihood. An inquiry mind wants to know who has stolen their sense of right and wrong. I have no intention in supporting or denouncing governance but rather I question the motives that drive us to destroy our nation that we claim we love; I question the sincerity of bringing about pseudo-change that is not founded on collaboration or mutual growth.
Unless our heart, our mind and our world turned to “the right side up”, it will be a wishful thinking of having a love relationship with the idea of ‘our beloved Ethiopia’. When we have the right motive, we are like well equipped warriors who are determined to never stop until the beloved nation is transformed. We are willing to collaborate and pour our sweat for the betterment of our people. We are so determined not to leave behind a scrambled and a dead nation held by a thin thread of survival. We are happy about our brother’s success that we abstain putting a trap underneath his feet.
When we go beyond the “passive love of coffee shop conversation”, when we surpass the pseudo ‘die for country’ slogan that fuels corruption and separation, when we look in to the eye of our neighbor and are willing to accept him/her for who they are but not their tribal identity, when Ethiopia is tattooed in our heart beyond the three color of our flag, when our unity is more than the causes that separate us – then we can boldly say “I’m the new generation who has so much love and passion for my nation Ethiopia”!

So, do you really love Ethiopia?

So, the thing about ETHIOPIA being "left behind" - PART II

Being left behind, in many readers sight has an implication of retardation or a sign of weak spirited or a sign of un-ability to cope with or even worse some might claim it being lazy.

The thing about Ethiopia is a bit different. From the angle I’m approaching my country’s alignment at the rear gate of the world civilization; the reason can be one or many of the above elements.

The first, and the most demeaning notion we Ethiopian’s have is our inability to see our ‘real’ stance.

We have many proverbs and sayings that imply a REAL overall growth is succeeded by a reflection of self. መጀመሪያ የዓይንህን ጉድፍ አውጣ! (first take out the Pillar from your eye.. before...)

But, we choose not to do an iota of self examining. As I had mentioned this fact repeatedly, I still find myself falling back to this reality. We need to stop pretending to be who “we are not” and accept who we are. Or be able to see where we stand.

Now, the real retard really is someone who ‘chooses’ to be blinded by a ‘false self exaltation’ that is blanketed by a history that neither he relates nor that might not even be true ( at least partially).

History is a great legacy to have in the package. He who doesn’t know where he came from or where he belongs is a confused may. But, a man who doesn’t know where he stands and where he is going is deluded- and that is worst!

So we, Ethiopian’s, decide which direction we are heading, as an individual or as a whole country. Towards the future or … rehearse the same old “empty pride of history” that doesn’t fill our stomach?????

ETHIOPIA :- A NATION LEFT BEHIND! PART I

This is the first of many blogs, I plan to post!

After much soul searching, I reached to this conclusion. That most of us, Ethiopians, live in severe denial of the stance of our country Ethiopia in the sight of the world. Once again this is not an attempt to solve a generation old question “why Ethiopia is a world apart”, but it is an attempt to question some of our thinking patterns.

Growing up, as over three fourth of an un-fortunate citizens of this country, we learn the make believe story that we crammed from our public school and half slumber society. All of a sudden we grew up and found ourselves facing with the harsh reality with an un-true self image of being an Ethiopia, and what Ethiopia embodies to us.

My first awakening came on my arrival to America in the late 90’s. I was amazed with not only the very complex roads and infrastructures, but also how green the country was. Wow….! I was made to believe that Ethiopia was/is the most greenish nation on the planet earth. Since then, my questioning mind never rested but questioned ideas like “Ethiopia, was the only nation chosen by God, with so many divine promises. Ethiopia was the only nation that has so much natural resources, wild animals and diverse tribal existence. We are actually not black, but we are brown people with special culture, tradition and history. We are the nation that was never been colonized in the face of the 19^th century, we are the land that was filled with hero’s like Tewodros. We are a unique nation that deserves the attention of the whole world.”

But, reality as harsh as it always is, explicitly announces Ethiopia as a nation that heavily relies on begging to survive on the face of the earth. A nation full of citizens where ‘pride has more important place than winning a daily bread’, a nation full of citizens who chose to live in the past glory they have never seen, but have no future plan that they don’t think they will exist tomorrow.’

I had to face this ruthless reality before I started peeling off the garbage that has been build generations ago. Garbage that buried the truth so deep, that we made to believe what doesn’t represent the truth as the truth.

Are we really who we say we are? Or rather, are we really who we ‘think’ we are?

I will keep peeling off the garbage of our thought pattern…. Hang on write back.

Selam Qwou. Teyakiw