We Ethiopians have passed through unimaginable scale of conflicts, wars and other man-made and environmental cataclysms and catastrophes during the former brutal military dictatorship. It is also clear that Ethiopians have had enough of difficulties and hardships and that is enough. We want to live in peace and harmony and pass that noble tradition to the next generation. Further, we want to improve our lives by getting rid of poverty and underdevelopment and most importantly, we want peace because without peace, there is no development. We know very well that our ancestors lived in peace with each other despite their linguistic, religious or any other differences; therefore, we want the same for our children and us. We also want to share the benefits this country has to offer equally and not be discriminated against because of our race, religion and any other backgrounds.
We are sick and tired of backward mentality of differences because such mentality is obsolete, outdated and buried. On the other hand, we are busy doing constructive activities in order to change not only the image of our country but also to transform our country for the better. We are fighting poverty, disease and underdevelopment. We are determined that we can and will bring economic development and prosperity to our country. Ethiopia of today must be the one that people live together equally and in harmony sharing the benefits equally.
It must be a country that human beings are respected not because they belong to such and such ethnic groups, races, religion denominations etc. but simply because they are all Ethiopians. People in a present Ethiopia must be masters of their destiny. Ethiopians have all the right to live and lead their lives anyway they want. Ethiopians have the right to govern themselves and use their own native languages not only for communication, but also for administrative and educational matters and not imposed upon them. We Ethiopians belong to all nations, nationalities and peoples. It is time that we as Ethiopians get passed the politics of division and rise to converge.
For that, we must use our education and technological advancement to help us not simply to learn the facts but most importantly, to train our mind to think and to think well and healthy. We as people have more common links and common core that joins us together and that can pull us together in a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood and in general in a sense of humanity. The notion of “we-them” is divisive and indeed dangerous. Such a notion and mentality can bring us enormous sufferings, reckoning and retribution among others. Our success or failure is contingent to our thinking and our deeds. We have to work more on our commonalities and not on our differences. We have to play persistent, adaptive and innovative game playing that will push us forward and not backward.
Our success can depend on the conditions surrounding us therefore; we have to make the best of our environment and our surroundings. We Ethiopians are composed of different cultural, ethnic, tribal and religious and linguistic denominations; however, we also share common values, common norms, common culture common tradition and common lives and livelihoods among others.
These common values, norms and traditions are deeply rooted and deeply entrenched into the heart and soul of the Ethiopian people that no one can help but continue to embrace them, cherish them and pass them to the next generation unraveled and untainted. While we possess many things in common, we also have differences; however, our commonalities surpass our differences. Whereas our commonalities and the things we share are plenty, we often than not tend to center and put more attention to our differences and that is wrong. Our nation is a microcosm of adverse and harmonious people. We speak different languages and have different skin tones.
This is what life is all about and what life is supposed to beliving harmoniously with everyone. Such sincere concept is so beautiful and multi-faceted but too complex for some to comprehend; therefore, we find it easier to outcast and ostracize groups of people before we decide to accept them for who they are and for their differences. We Ethiopians have lived with each other as brothers and sisters in peace and harmony for generations.
The same happened with the intermarriage between our people. We have known each other and considered each other as brothers and sisters and helped each other in good and in bad times since time immemorial. We Ethiopians have protected and preserved Ethiopia’s freedom, safety, security and territorial integrity fighting internal and external enemies of our nation since time immemorial. We also fought aristocratic and dictatorial regimes side by side as brothers and sisters. As a result, thousands lost their precious lives fighting dictatorial military regime in order to liberate the nation and in order to bring peace, security, prosperity and democracy to our nation and to our people.
We Ethiopians by and large share the same culture, tradition, way of living and physical and psychological makeup. Most of us speak or understand Amharic: the national language: An excellent testimony of that are students coming from different parts of the nation studying in different universities of the nation. They live and study in different parts of the nation and at times, the local people give more respect and hospitality to them than their own residents.
This kind of relationship is what is happening within the rest of the Regions of our nation and this is what is expected from all Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of our nation in our era of 21st century and not lawlessness and anarchy that we have unfortunately been observing lately. That relationship between and among our people is what we inherited from our ancestors and that noble relationship is what we must pass to the next generation and not violence, conflicts and wars.
Conflicts and war, illegal and violent activities as ways and means of achieving individual, group or institutional goals and objectives will always have detrimental consequences on peace and development of any nation because they cause damage, destruction and underdevelopment that are highly regrettable. Whereas it is very clear that peace is extremely momentous for everything positive, it can also slip away if people are not careful and if they become too reluctant. Peace as precious as it is can easily be disturbed by peace-hating people and the result of this could be catastrophic and dangerous.
It is important therefore, that we give their utmost value and significance for peace by directly challenging those anti-peace individuals and groups and by enhancing people to people communication in order to maintain peace, security and stability of our people because without peace nothing can be achieved. Further, whatever time they might take, this fundamental phenomenon of a civilized society will help narrow differences, strengthen healthy relationships and cooperation amongst the public at large and most importantly help reduce and avoid damage and distraction and enhance mutual respect and unity amongst our people.
Herald January 5/2019
BY YOHANNES GEBRESELLASSIE
