HY RU EN
Asset 3

Loading

End of content No more pages to load

Your search did not match any articles

Monte, What Could I Wish You?

Seta Kabranian-Melkonian 

It’s your 60th birthday, Monte. What could I wish you? I know I could still wish you a few things from a twenty-five-year distance.

The “Long years” wish of the past has come true. One-quarter century after your death, you are still living and all the signs are there to think you would still be “alive” for the times to come. We, your loved ones, would turn to ashes and disappear or perhaps exist on a different level. But you will have your “Long years” existence. That is a fact.

I wish this existence of yours would be true to your real self, and your personality would be preserved intact. You would remain the Monte that actually was, for he does not need additional hero-worshipping.

Recently people called you a God and a demigod. More than anyone, you would have objected such a veneration. Alas, we do not need new Gods. However, those who called you a demigod are kind and nice people. They need your presence more than ever. Bent under widespread capitalism they need an impartial leader who neglects material goods and labors for the well-being of fellow compatriots. Just like you. They need a man for whom the benefit of the motherland and the nation is above all. A man from whom one continues to learn beyond all expressions of praise and tribute.

“How should I present you, Monte?” Years ago to our comrade’s question you answered: “In no way.” Your expression meant people should evaluate your deeds. Glorification was not your style.  

People who follow your activism have other sources to dig your past. You did not like commenting on your achievements. However, you were the toughest judge of your own mistakes. During our correspondence, I wrote to you about my shortcomings. In your responses, you reiterated that the summation of my errors would not make a fraction of your mistakes.

Monte, your phenomenon was in your simplicity and your loyalty to your principles. In your honesty and devotion. Your charm was in your livelihood, in your optimism and in savoring life fully. It was in your vigor and vigilance to help the oppressed. In defending the rights of humans and nature, and in your reverence for the good. It is also in your intolerance of the fallacious.

I admit there were times when I lived with the horror of disappointing you. One thing I knew well. You thought good of people until they proved to be bad. This regards everyone you met. Nevertheless, your disappointment was great when a person close to you made the mistake. For you, some things were beyond forgiveness. Cherishing reality, you were unforgiving to any falsehood and accusation. You demanded public apology before considering a truce. Then after forgiving, you were never spiteful.

You valued your family. For the occasion of your birthday on November 24, 1988, you wrote:

 

Darling, I will be 31 years old tomorrow. I cannot believe it. I didn’t think I would reach this age. Truly I don’t feel much different, but the fact in and of itself makes me think how short life is, and how important it is to put an end to our separation. Years, months, days, hours and even seconds fritter away without you. Another year is gone from my life without being able to approach you or look into your eyes. How can I be “Happy” for this type of a birthday— away from you. I cannot. For there is no real happiness for me without you. I haven’t told anyone here it’s my birthday tomorrow for the simple reason that I know they will celebrate for me. I don’t want any celebration. However, we will certainly celebrate next year because we will be together and we will have a good reason to celebrate. You will bake a cake for me. It will be difficult, impossible, to bake a cake that is sweeter than you.

 

Our life together did not change your attitude in the least. Thus, domestic abuse and men slaving their wives were intolerable for you. You ended your relationship with such abusers. People who raised a hand on their family members disappeared from your circle.

The overview of our future was modest. In your letters you repeated that we were the happiest people. Your dream was building a house, with the help of your friends, in our motherland and raising good children. Before reaching there though, we would struggle to reestablish our rights on our ancestral land. We would live in solidarity with our revolutionary comrades and their families. Educating all of our children would be my responsibility. We would establish our home in our motherland, where we would grow old, and you would write a book about jail time and obsolescence of prisons.

Your dream was that simple, Monte. How easy it was to be happy with you.

 

Write a comment

If you found a typo you can notify us by selecting the text area and pressing CTRL+Enter