Daily reflections
By G.B. Wonago
9/27/2020
To fight unjust system, you do not become one of its proponents—to fight racism, you do not become a racist. That is what is taking place in Ethiopia under “Ethnic Federalism”.
9/28/2020
Imagination is better than knowledge
—Albert Einstein
9/29/2020
There are some who suggest that there are good and bad ethno-nationalisms, for example, Oromo, Tigray, Somali, and Sidaama ethno-nationalisms are bad while Amhara ethno-nationalism is good. That is absurd. Ethno-nationalism is ethno-nationalism is ethno-nationalism. That is to say, it is Racism!
9/30/2020
There is no limit as to how low those who do not value human life, for example, racists, could sink to attack others. That was what Donald J. Trump, the current president of the U.S.A., demonstrated during the first presidential debate with the former vice president, Joe Biden. I wonder what it would take for the American people to say “enough is enough” and vote this racist president out?
10/01/2020
In spite of shared challenges that may arise from such things as climate change, pandemics, or the financial market that demand our collective/global response, ethno-nationalists, through out the globe, are working overtime herding their respective communities into the oldest of refuges: the tribal/clannish fellowship of one’s own narrow kind. However, we would do well to remember that what the ethno-nationalists view as a safe refuge(ethnically/racially “pure” community) may turn into a killing zone in a hurry.
10/02/2020
” rights express not only individual claims, but also collective values: above all, the idea that rights are indivisible. If they come for you, they also come for me. That means we must stick together….If the supreme value that rights seek to protect is human agency, then the chief expression of human agency is difference….To believe in rights is to believe in defending difference.”
….. Michael Ignatieff, 2000, the Rights Revolution, p.53
10/03/2020
” It became apparent he was one of those young men who posses an impressive store of facts, but no truth.”
—- John Howard Griffin, 1960, BLACK LIKE ME, p.88
10/04/2020
It would be naïve to believe that there would be liberty/freedom without sustainable guard rails—overarching, enforceable rules and regulations that apply to all involved and hence effectively rule out unilateral interpretations of what is just.
10/05/2020
” There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said–no. But somehow we missed it.”
—Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
10/06/2020
Embracing reciprocity of rights, recognition, and respect is imperative, not optional.
10/07/2020
It is remarkable that many who follow Ethiopian politics do not realize that the TPLF leaders (the authors of the rules of the game of Ethiopian politics) are still controlling the game board and the final phase of the game (unilateral declaration of independence by regional states, most likely led by the Tigray region) is about to kick in.
10/08/2020
Those who are not constrained by the truth or conventions are not interested in or connected to reality/facts; have no morals or shame; and value nothing, including human life. President Donald Trump’s administration is the case in point.
10/09/2020
Have you ever wondered why millions of people world wide risk their lives to help strangers while others spend their entire lives just collecting and consuming? Even birds can collect and consume quite effectively. Don’t they?
10/10/2020
For the past four years, president Donald Trump has been the most powerful advocate for racism/white supremacy . Ethno-nationalists world wide have been energized by his lies and hate propaganda and have been carrying out ethnic cleansing. They will never have more powerful ally than Trump. Hopefully, it appears, Trump will be voted out in a matter of days!
10/11/2020
Anybody who has worked for president Trump for more than two months shares Trump’s world view and as such contributed to Trump’s actions that resulted in loss of so many lives.
10/12/2020
No individual/group has a natural right to deny the right of another individual/group. Guns, by definition, are instruments to take away rights, to kill, nothing else. It is remarkable to listen to the proponents of second amendment in the U.S.A. argue it’s their natural right to carry military style guns in the name of personal protection. What exactly is the responsibility of their government if not the protection of the citizens? I mean, besides taxing the poor and giving the money to the rich!
10/13/2020
For centuries, the Bible has been used to justify as well as to oppose slavery, racism, colonialism, and just about any imaginable tyranny on the planet. Consistent Catholic and Evangelical Christians’ support for president Trump is the case in point.
Racists and tyrants, arguing that nothing on this planet happens without the will of God, normalize the atrocities they commit and silence many of their opponents. That is, if one believes nothing on this planet takes place without the will of God, to effectively expose the atrocities racists and church elites commit, you have to first reject the idea that “nothing happens without God’s will” and that is not so easy.
10/14/2020
Ethno-nationalists world wide have been boldly spreading hate and lies, following president Trump’s lead past four years, I hope Trump’s defeat will calm things down.
10/15/2020
Building a just society, a society built on rights, demands to live in truth and end campaign of hate and lies.
10/16/2020
The Floyd protests(Black Lives Matter protests) and the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19 crisis) have been two of the biggest stories of 2020. President Trump’s Supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has refused to comment on the issue of climate change and when she was asked: “What are the five freedoms of the First Amendment?” and she replied : ” Speech, religion, press, assembly.” Not surprisingly, she missed the right to protest, apparently, the issue of human rights doesn’t mean much to her.
10/17/2020
Racists(ethno-nationalists) behave just like a cult because they are afraid of the “other” and have a low self-esteem to stand independently as individuals. They value being part of a group (their chosen prison) more than their dignity/integrity or even their own lives. President Trump’s supporters are the case in point. How pathetic!
10/18/2020
Majority rule where fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals/groups, inside as well as outside the ruling majority, are not respected is a tyranny of majority. Reginal ethnic majority rules in Ethiopia are the cases in point.
10/19/2020
If Ethiopia disintegrates, whether a particular geographic area is currently organized as a district/woreda, a zone, or a regional state makes no difference. Every community can call itself whatever its heart desires if the state of Ethiopia ceases to exist. Of course, it is reasonable to argue that those areas currently organized as regional states would be more prepared if the unthinkable happens. However, that may not necessarily be the case as such a major change always creates unanticipated dynamics. For example, fragmentation doesn’t necessarily stop at the gate of current regional state or zone.
10/20/2020
There is an urgent need for a poly ethno-cultural coalition to stop ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia and to support hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.
10/21/2020
Referendum is a poor instrument to resolve complex social issues, for example, human rights related issues, as majority of the electorate may not fully understand what exactly is the core principle being considered.
10/22/2020
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
————- Martin Luther King jr
10/23/2020
This U.S.A’s presidential election is an acid test. Re-election of Trump implies majority of Americans are resentful of the way the world and their nation are evolving.
10/24/2020
” Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value”
——Albert Einstein
10/25/2020
” It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest.”
———Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and causes of the Wealth of Nations, Vol.1.
10/26/2020
“In matter of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment people are all the same.”
———-Albert Einstein
10/27/2020
The phrase ” let the people decide” should be viewed with an open mind, for uninformed electorates may be used by elites for good or evil.
10/28/2020
The constitution of the U.S.A. is the oldest codified constitution(based on the notion of equality of rights). The most famous phrase ” all men are created equal” is part of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The U.S. has been holding elections for more than 200 years. So, what explains the election of president Donald Trump( openly racist, sexist, xenophobic, and pathological liar)? I would say, racism(ethnic nationalism) and groupthink are the most likely explanations.
10/29/2020
Two people may reach exactly the same conclusion on a given topic/social issue based on entirely different reasons( different set of values and principles). That means, a shared conclusion is important but it is not sufficient without proper understanding of the core of the argument behind it. For example, people may support/oppose abortion, euthanasia, or a political organization/institution for entirely different reasons.
North East Africa Research Group :The Way Forward. 