By Berhanu Kelbessa
My point here is to state few ideas I have concerned about it and understood its most solution for our most chronic socio-economic and political problems and people’s lives trapped under many recurring, permanent and also more serious and dangerous conditions as I think. Concerned, because of the member of the society and understanding the problems could follow the omission or undermining the core points toward the continuation of conflicts besides other major factors left unstated here.
While desiring the attention of, particularly, youth from different ethnicities, in Ethiopia, there is one question which mostly comes to my mind; the way we all failed to focus to basic reasons or the core points or problems of something often drowned us in to whatever ideas of only our immediate group and the status quo, regardless of its benefits in multi-directions. In other words, instead of focusing to the right conditions, alternatives, better ideas; mostly when we limit our-selves to factors which can affect us a group or as general due to limited choices and interaction or ways of bounded ideas. So, taking the better sides, reasonably, which is wrong or right, in the scope of our experience and reason based on facts, time and results and also neutrality to groups but dedication to useful solutions or for better conditions and averting risks deserve leading priority; which seeks keeping self at one’s or others’ places during judgments, and more focusing to the reasons which cannot be denied in terms of deep and reasonable demands, peace and development; though sometimes to please our friends or groups or to keep the status quo, we get restrained from supporting best alternatives or solutions than negatives and damaging conditions effected to risky situations.
Among the very common natural and social factors where the world population experiencing both common and differences, when we come to down to ours as its part as a continent, calling Africa could give more sense to all Africans; which is not racism or narrowness, and it because beyond the name, all Africans share and know what the life looks there and how they have lived and experienced than the others; similarly, following concerns for its shared values it could create significant bounding conditions one cannot escape at all. Then, region, neighbors/bordering/ countries, the country, and then internal regions or states to villages or families have both common binding conditions and specific others where some factors could contribute to the expectation of most or opposite; in different ways.
When we limit our ideas only to group’s and in worse conditions, oppose the way other groups practiced and experienced and demanded, clearly its opposing reality and isolating self from others and the base of the problem could be ours than those whom we oppose unreasonably; in terms of creating real solutions. under the condition where it’s not only indicates continuous risks, ignorance, or intolerance and no solution; and moreover, sticking to impossibility in non-legitimate ways is only to wage extra cost for the reason force cannot bring lasting solutions; but dialogue, understanding and effective or unbiased decision.
In our experience, contrary to reason, when following only pre-conceived, one side thought to interpret the whole without proper attention to others among many factors, when common and shared-values left unvalued and the miss of that significant factors sometimes lead us to wrong process or duties or opposing other groups than fulfilling our limitations while judging the whole, based only on our own immediate group stances. For example, when beyond pressuring each other, discriminating and forcing to follow ill order of power than mutual understanding, usually it results to not only wrongs but also losses; as to the lives of many children at the current incidents. Besides the loss of our brothers and children’s lives, there is much dangerous conditions which many cannot visualize; dangers which creating unlimited gap, differences, hate and ideal isolation; and beyond all fallacy to tangible proximities and an invitation to more strange conditions and problems. In reality, the big problem is not the conflicts/fighting / we have faced at different times but the way we think, analyze, understand and decide to avert problems or work for solutions. For example, at old time, the now Oromia region grand and great grandparents, including mine, had traveled long to fight at the region now called Tigray, or North, as known, as said, “…there were because unknown enemies, few of them crossed the river/sea/ and too many not yet, once crossed, the fate of kids and women who can neither fight nor escape had known; so, they must be there first; first to reach for the purpose of that, to save; ” in terms of priority besides the main goal; where at today’s view, we exaggerated the gap than our real knowledge and experiences while treating each other as if there is no least concerns or conditions; to give full attention and understanding, or in dedicating to search for realities beyond our scope of thoughts. As wrongly but often limited to “Only I’m right and you are wrong;” without even understanding the causes and realities of the other. Then, thinking back, the then times children or kids from northern part of the country could be the fathers of current Ethiopian officials or even few officials among the group responsible to the current situation failed to devise means to avert the cause to the loss of children’s lives at this age and time.
All these are the way we create wider gap than realities, and/or consider in weakness/limitations/ as heroism, modernism, wisdom or strength. Though base/root/ less conflicts could happen both in a group and between groups but doesn’t take time or go further as the one has had fundamental cause.
The left importance of this idea is for one basic reason; not to be silent and guided with wrong status quo, especially for future generations in saving time for better actions, to limit causalities, not to give extra time and chance for our fundamental enemies-hanger, disease, illiteracy /ignorance/, backwardness; and also chronic opposing ideas, lack of freedom, cowardice character, and blindness to root of solutions as well as in identifying both our shared values and differences to fix the problems whether we like it or not.
Further, current problems, as I understood, the two conditions in our country, though the rest are non-debatable, invites continuous blood shade and legitimate demand from the enquirer(nationally & internationally) while improperly undermined and exist the core of the problem depend on more power(gun) and less on the status-quo without any better reason for the solution.
The idea of National language, AFAAN OROMO where English-common for all, to assume, to take and to legalize soon, could be seen as difficult to many at this time; while one of the best advantage for all in different ways if properly seen without limited and narrow ideas. In fact it’s expected that many can understand its positive effect but fear to express self, just to follow friend’s or group’s ideas which has existed and followed for longer; during and when emotion controls reason. So, that kinds of views and restriction or self-imposed limit to reality impacts to unnecessary results and solutions. If one always thinks or worries about breaking down the nation in to parts, at least need to think sometimes if it can be wider or no change at all too; as far as both are imaginations which exist before the start of imperative actions to better conditions for all.
Similarly, REFERENDUM, the concept that taken as curse to not few persons but curing factors in asserting current and future presence or absence of conflicts or root of conflicts, must be welcomed by all and together, work to better understandings and in eliminating most factors which expected, if exists, would create what have created hesitation. Obliviously, most ideas have been the reflection of myth, media, some politicians, and many older and educated persons we wrongly understood as persons with higher level of political knowledge (theory and practice); in whatever field and wherever country they have lived; while, undeniably, the key factor is the way of people’s life, history, the feeling which has already created-there; where one behave as the protector and the other is as claimer.
In simple words, reasonable demand needs matching response or solutions in the way it avoids the cause of the problems in preferable ways, matured, concerned and more for the best result to deny any means to create related problems. Unless and otherwise, providing clear message to others that if it is undermined, left only one possibility; using force; where as seen from experience, for only the reason of rigidity and undermining the voice of the mass, which is primary self-defeat to the group, and ready to surrender only if gun rules the case; the second and would be second defeat including expected maximum loss of lives and materials. In fact, the other fear seems acceptable in this case could be single decision or conclusion; for individuals who believe in domination and subjugation, unable to analyze concerns of others and its benefits for all who considers history and the satisfaction of the majority in self-expressing, feeling and decision making. This single factor, which is by far the most expected solution even to win over all groups fighting for the cause on one hand and asserting the mass to decide about its right as the most important deed, and also for that matter, setting the date, could happen as expected and it will automatically generate the feelings of immediate freedom, doubtless or liberated mind to better understandings or being free from the belief of imposition of others pressure, ideas, and fake more concerns than others; but independently as a person and as the group for equality, dignity, liberty and cooperation under free spirit contributes unexpected achievements for stronger nation; up on the will and interest of the people.
Berhanu Kelbessa
Seattle, WA