The Pursuit Of Excellence As Our New Religion

Unfortunately, the Armenian nation is not blessed with quantity, so we must compensate for this deficit with superior quality

Roupen Karakachian

Let’s face it. As Armenians, we are now on the ‘endangered nations’ list. We have lost a major battle, we are in no position to win any battles in the near term, and unless we radically change our ways, we risk extinction in the long term. It is time to get serious, forget about demanding what we don’t have, and focus on preserving what we do have. It is time to stop glorifying martyrdom in unequal battles. A few more ‘moral victories’ and we will be extinct. It is time to hunker down as a nation, understand the reasons for our failures and the world’s indifference, and take charge of our own destiny. This means establishing a roadmap for the next 50 years, mobilizing all of our resources, while preparing methodically and without fanfare for the long haul.

Ultimately this is about serious and hard work, not empty rhetoric and bombast. Unfortunately, the Armenian nation is not blessed with quantity, so we must compensate for this deficit with superior quality. We must indoctrinate our future generations to serve the nation not through commitment to the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield, but through dedication to excel in whatever field of study or professional career they choose for themselves. We are too few to afford mediocrity. We cannot even afford to be average. If we want to serve our nation and reach a point where we no longer have to worry about extinction, we should stop tolerating mediocre students, teachers, politicians, clergy, scientists, artisans, professionals, artists, or soldiers.

For Armenians, there is no alternative but to excel. Indeed, to succeed as a nation, we collectively need to punch above our weight. But at present, not only do we fail to do that, but due to the utter failure of our leadership, both in Armenia and in Diaspora, we even manage to punch below our weight.

In the Diaspora, we can no longer accept a ghetto mentality. Ghettos – once necessary and perhaps useful – have long outlived their usefulness. Instead, it is time for Armenians to get out of their insular environments and set their sights on conquering the world. A focus on survival and preservation ultimately breeds mediocrity. In the 21st century, we no longer need to fear integration into our larger societies. We no longer need close-knit physical communities to stay connected to our Armenian identities. Technology allows us to stay connected virtually, and often to have more profound, nurturing, and rich experiences than those offered to us in our immediate physical communities. If used properly, technology can allow any Armenian, anywhere in the world, to connect with other Armenians that share his/her interests, to attend the best Armenian concerts, plays, or lectures taking place around the world, and to learn the language and history from the best teachers available. Instead of teaching our kids that being a good Armenian involves simply attending Armenian school, Armenian Church, Armenian sports and youth clubs, taking part in April 24 protest marches, and being community activists, we should teach them that being a good Armenian means, above all, being an effective Armenian. This shifts our emphasis from simply retaining identity to the daily hard work, grit, and perseverance to excel in school and to become the best in whatever field of study or profession we choose for ourselves. We are always proud of those great Armenian scientists, businessmen, or artists that have served the nation through their achievements, knowledge, celebrity status, networks and wealth. Let’s imagine multiplying their numbers by the thousands. That is the difficult, long-term, and serious endeavor we need to embark on as a nation if we are ever to succeed in finally getting off the list of endangered nations.

Implicit in all of this is something further. We must restructure our temporal rhythm as a people: Instead of rising up to combat crises, we need to work and plan assiduously during peacetime, when ‘nothing seems to happen’ — something which is crucial in addressing crises when they finally do happen. This lesson should be evident to all of us, after wasting the last 25+ years when we could have built a strong defense and security architecture, and then suddenly found ourselves in a crisis we were unprepared for.

The pursuit of excellence should be our utmost ideal…a calling, an imperative, almost a religion. We need to understand that being politically engaged and serving the national cause does not mean simply protesting, demanding, lobbying, or taking up arms. It can mean some or all of that. But it means, first and foremost, setting the highest standards of achievement for ourselves and excelling as students, as professionals, and as human beings; not for personal glory, but to leverage our success to strengthen the nation. For the world to take notice and to take our interests into account, we need to be actors on the world stage, in every possible field. We need to be relevant. We need to matter.

Yes, national awareness and identity still matter – more than ever. But these are not self-evident virtues, in and of themselves. Rather, the key to success as a nation lies in individual excellence and our effectiveness in the broader world we live in, harnessed by a collective consciousness instilled in us by a new leadership capable of inspiring, uniting, and mobilizing.