why think forward what does it mean what
it really means is about you or about us
from an Armenian perspective thing
forward is also especially important
because far too often we think backwards
not forwards and it’s also a two element
meaning think is as important as forward
and thinking forward infers progress
like the shark moving forward to survive
but what’s also interesting here we’ve
heard each speaker offer a different
sentence we’ve heard music we’ve heard
passion we’ve heard and seen and tasted
the beauty of the Armenian language
expressed through calligraphy what each
speaker shares is commitment concern and
passion and lighting what’s also
interesting is why think forward is
especially relevant as well as
significant and it’s because we are here
at a unique place the Republic of
Armenia at a unique time in fact it is
your generation that is present at the
creation building a future as well as a
country and then this concept of think
forward I would also say in addition to
what it means and why it’s important is
how to do it and really it’s about
change change also has five specific
elements I would like to stress in many
ways five letters of the alphabet but to
be more beautiful like Rubens
presentation it’s about the calligraphy
of change the first element is to be
assertive almost aggressive in terms of
leveraging your faith in your people the
belief that we can make this a
country a better future in a better
place but a commitment to change in
addition to being a assertive is B being
bold daring to dream big but also in
terms of being bold becoming better
education as we’ve just heard is also a
lifelong process it does not stop with a
degree or a certificate but the letter C
is also especially important in terms of
be courageous fear is the biggest
obstacle to change in addition to being
courageous be more confident and in many
ways this is the pathway to overcome
fear as the self-imposed limitation that
should not apply especially to your
generation as an agent of change and the
letter D be determined be different be
diffident even be deviant we’re too
homogeneous in our society that’s not
good we need to promote greater
diversity and much greater tolerance the
diversity of ideas is especially
important there is no right or wrong
answer to how to build a democracy how
to develop the economy of the country
and finally the letter e be empowered be
enabled and be educated what this
entails is not only an opportunity but a
challenge you each have an obligation an
obligation to stand up for your rights
to have a say in determining your future
and to be a little bit angry angry in
terms of don’t be satisfied with the
status quo don’t accept mediocrity in
any form whether it’s in politics
economics or your personal life at the
same time if we look at the concept or
theory of change it’s never too early
and it’s never too late to start change
whether individually or collectively
and moreover we’ve heard about in Matt’s
presentation the 18 I would say from an
American reference the great generation
which is you whether you like it or not
whether people realize it or not well
it’s also another phrase from the United
States what was called in the Kennedy
years the best and the brightest this is
the best and the brightest of the
Republic of Armenia many of which are
sitting in the room
we’d have future ambassadors ministers
prime ministers and why not presidents
sitting in this room we also have the
future business generation people of my
generation let’s be honest the future is
not ours it’s in your hands but at the
same time we’re at war and I’m not
talking about nagorno-karabakh we are at
war in terms of domestic violence in
terms of sex selection abortion and
poverty it is disgraceful
one in three Armenians are living in
poverty these are our fronts in our war
to build a better and more developed
country at the same time
corruption is now the largest and most
powerful threat to our own national
security but we are moving in the right
direction
and in many ways this is a monologue of
delivery but it is a dialogue in terms
of the message and in conclusion it’s
important to say there is no conclusion
this is a dynamic not static process
it’s far too premature but there are
significant closing observations the
first is real change in a country in
Armenia or any other usually fails from
being not too soon or too early but from
being too little too late we can no
longer afford to actually defer tackling
some of our
more pressing challenges the second
observation I do not think the real
solution is to confront the government
and challenge the system directly it’s
much more effective to change the system
and actually to offer a better model
that works and that reveals the
deficiencies of the old model and in
many ways we are citizens and residents
which means we have rights but we also
have obligations and we have obligations
not only in the political or the
economic or financial sectors we have
obligations to each other we are
sometimes far too polite to oligarchs we
are far too tolerant of corruption but
we are much too rude to each other this
also has to stop in many ways in Armenia
there is an interesting lesson where a
real leader does not recruit followers a
real leader recruits other leaders and
this is one key to change and in many
ways there are two interesting
quotations it’s always helpful as a
public speaker to refer to people much
smarter than yourselves as I do the
first quotation is from a unique figure
in history a man who went from prison to
presidential palace Nelson Mandela
according to Mandela it is education
that is the most powerful weapon to
change the world he personified that
change the second interesting quotation
female Margaret Mead the anthropologist
whose quotation is perhaps one of my
favorites moving here from the United
States according to Margaret Mead never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful
committed citizens can change the world
indeed
it is the only thing that ever has
changed the world thank you [Applause]
it really means is about you or about us
from an Armenian perspective thing
forward is also especially important
because far too often we think backwards
not forwards and it’s also a two element
meaning think is as important as forward
and thinking forward infers progress
like the shark moving forward to survive
but what’s also interesting here we’ve
heard each speaker offer a different
sentence we’ve heard music we’ve heard
passion we’ve heard and seen and tasted
the beauty of the Armenian language
expressed through calligraphy what each
speaker shares is commitment concern and
passion and lighting what’s also
interesting is why think forward is
especially relevant as well as
significant and it’s because we are here
at a unique place the Republic of
Armenia at a unique time in fact it is
your generation that is present at the
creation building a future as well as a
country and then this concept of think
forward I would also say in addition to
what it means and why it’s important is
how to do it and really it’s about
change change also has five specific
elements I would like to stress in many
ways five letters of the alphabet but to
be more beautiful like Rubens
presentation it’s about the calligraphy
of change the first element is to be
assertive almost aggressive in terms of
leveraging your faith in your people the
belief that we can make this a
country a better future in a better
place but a commitment to change in
addition to being a assertive is B being
bold daring to dream big but also in
terms of being bold becoming better
education as we’ve just heard is also a
lifelong process it does not stop with a
degree or a certificate but the letter C
is also especially important in terms of
be courageous fear is the biggest
obstacle to change in addition to being
courageous be more confident and in many
ways this is the pathway to overcome
fear as the self-imposed limitation that
should not apply especially to your
generation as an agent of change and the
letter D be determined be different be
diffident even be deviant we’re too
homogeneous in our society that’s not
good we need to promote greater
diversity and much greater tolerance the
diversity of ideas is especially
important there is no right or wrong
answer to how to build a democracy how
to develop the economy of the country
and finally the letter e be empowered be
enabled and be educated what this
entails is not only an opportunity but a
challenge you each have an obligation an
obligation to stand up for your rights
to have a say in determining your future
and to be a little bit angry angry in
terms of don’t be satisfied with the
status quo don’t accept mediocrity in
any form whether it’s in politics
economics or your personal life at the
same time if we look at the concept or
theory of change it’s never too early
and it’s never too late to start change
whether individually or collectively
and moreover we’ve heard about in Matt’s
presentation the 18 I would say from an
American reference the great generation
which is you whether you like it or not
whether people realize it or not well
it’s also another phrase from the United
States what was called in the Kennedy
years the best and the brightest this is
the best and the brightest of the
Republic of Armenia many of which are
sitting in the room
we’d have future ambassadors ministers
prime ministers and why not presidents
sitting in this room we also have the
future business generation people of my
generation let’s be honest the future is
not ours it’s in your hands but at the
same time we’re at war and I’m not
talking about nagorno-karabakh we are at
war in terms of domestic violence in
terms of sex selection abortion and
poverty it is disgraceful
one in three Armenians are living in
poverty these are our fronts in our war
to build a better and more developed
country at the same time
corruption is now the largest and most
powerful threat to our own national
security but we are moving in the right
direction
and in many ways this is a monologue of
delivery but it is a dialogue in terms
of the message and in conclusion it’s
important to say there is no conclusion
this is a dynamic not static process
it’s far too premature but there are
significant closing observations the
first is real change in a country in
Armenia or any other usually fails from
being not too soon or too early but from
being too little too late we can no
longer afford to actually defer tackling
some of our
more pressing challenges the second
observation I do not think the real
solution is to confront the government
and challenge the system directly it’s
much more effective to change the system
and actually to offer a better model
that works and that reveals the
deficiencies of the old model and in
many ways we are citizens and residents
which means we have rights but we also
have obligations and we have obligations
not only in the political or the
economic or financial sectors we have
obligations to each other we are
sometimes far too polite to oligarchs we
are far too tolerant of corruption but
we are much too rude to each other this
also has to stop in many ways in Armenia
there is an interesting lesson where a
real leader does not recruit followers a
real leader recruits other leaders and
this is one key to change and in many
ways there are two interesting
quotations it’s always helpful as a
public speaker to refer to people much
smarter than yourselves as I do the
first quotation is from a unique figure
in history a man who went from prison to
presidential palace Nelson Mandela
according to Mandela it is education
that is the most powerful weapon to
change the world he personified that
change the second interesting quotation
female Margaret Mead the anthropologist
whose quotation is perhaps one of my
favorites moving here from the United
States according to Margaret Mead never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful
committed citizens can change the world
indeed
it is the only thing that ever has
changed the world thank you [Applause]
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