A conversation with Mount Ararat

Every Armenian around the world grows up learning that this majestic mountain is a symbol of being Armenian.  Mount Ararat located within Turkish national borders has been politicized as a complicated symbol to be and embody the Armenian national identity.  I’ve read and studied maps and histories written by both Armenian and non-Armenian scholars – I understand that maintaining political history is much more important for some people than it is to try understand and interrelate with humanity.

With my first sunrise and my jetlagged body, I can’t help but feel in awe of this view. If I could talk to Mount Ararat, I would offer my concerns and ask questions over some fine Turkish coffee and pakhlava.  I think it might sound like this:

Your peaks peek through the clouds on this fine, warm summer morning gazing over us on both sides of the border, I wonder, does it upset you that we all want to claim you? 

Armenian or Turkish, or even earlier, Hittite and Urartian – can we “own” you?

Perhaps you have your own identity that humans continue to dismiss and even oppress leaving you to be colonized by us – what do your roots deep within earth, far older than our human existence tell you about us?

Colonizing you every time groups of people or Armenians climb up or stand near you, and place a flag pole or wave the tricolor Armenian flag – say baneer! [Click!] [Upload to social media] [Insert patriotic messages and hateful messages about Turks] [emoji: angry face] [hashtag Armenian nationalistic rhetoric]

Colonizing you every donkey or horseback ride with licensed guides profiting off of your beauty and body – how to put the cost of all this in liras?

For long periods of time, human nature – our national governments - controlled and dominated the way we humans relate with each other and nature.  Far too often humans have also relied on wars to resolve our problems – especially here in the Caucasus Region.

We should know better by now in 2019 that with every war comes the cost of lives and invaluable memories that could bring more joy and happiness than our governments need to politicize our bodies and nature.  With ever war comes the responsibility of cleaning up after and rebuilding societies and communities.  Some of us humans – and even nature - may never recover the trauma when we realized later in our lives the impact of post-traumatic syndrome and other harm we’ve done on our bodies and nature.

Not to forget to mention that within this moment of environmental crisis, we, humans find ourselves facing (or for some of us avoiding) deeper questions and issues, perhaps now more than ever it may be better to turn to mother nature.  But, I’m sorry, you still don’t have representation at the United Nations Security Council where major global powers continue to determine your fate, our fate, the world’s fate.

Instead of dividing us, perhaps our love and admiration for you from all sides of the borders can be our common love affair that can bring us together.