April war- basis for changing mentality (video)
The Armenian public had strong reaction to the war in Artsakh. The psychology of the civilians also changed fundamentally during the first four days of April. “Who called heroes those people, who were martyred; today we have heroes, 18-year-old young people, who are heroes, as they assessed the situation more quickly, were more flexible,” notes psychologist Anna Badalyan. Living heroes have had secondary position in the society during 22 years after Artsakh war in the 1990s, facing the indifference of the authorities. Mrs Badalyan notes, “Those people are the real heroes, who faced indifference very often, being forgotten very often, became a fist and stood by the young.” Maybe that was the aspiration to become a hero that many figures, not unequivocally accepted by the society, appeared at army posts, on hearing the news about the military operations. “In any disastrous situation, in a drop of water a human nature can be seen; those, who are populists, want to prove themselves,” says psychologist Irina Tsaturyan. The psychologists claim that the society must adopt a special stance toward the soldiers, who returned from the front to the civil life. We should understand that the painful memories of war will be engraved on his [soldier’s] mind for a very long time and traumatic feelings will last for a long time. Anna Badalyan comments on the situation in this way, “A friend, with whom he lived, with whom he may have had a quarrel, he will feel guilty about it for a long time. Here we need also a right approach by the society, which shouldn’t express pity, but should be understanding until they adapt.” Irina Tsaturyan adds, “These guys must become an example; streets, schools, cities must be named after the deceased soldiers, so that it is preserved, by uttering the names of those guys we can win again.” But the work to be done by our society doesn’t end here. “Euphoria that we have won shouldn’t lead to the thinking that we can gain victory in any case. We should understand that we must be well-prepared both with arms and ideas.” The specialists are sure that in spite of the painful losses April war caused, it may become the basis for changing the mentality, but for that, first of all, the mentality of the authorities must be changed.
