English composition written by
LORI DEDEYAN who won the 1st prize
From AGBU-MANOOGIAN DEMIRJIAN SCHOOL

I believe that is expected of me, a child of the Armenian heritage and culture, and a peace-loving individual, to reply without hesitation. I would have it that the Armenian Genocide never occurred, that, by some fortunate turn of events, the massacre of 1.5 million innocents did not take place, that rather, they were allowed to flourish and grow into a strong component of the human population, not dispersed across foreign lands but united as Armenians”. This is what I would expect.
Indeed, I have been raised in an Armenian household; the first words uttered uncertainly from my infant mouth have been Armenian. Being Armenian is a major part of who I am. It is natural. People form attachments and loyalties to the cultures in which they have been immersed, of which they have read histories, poetry and novels, and from which they draw strength. I am Armenian. But above all. I am human.
As such, I am concerned not only with the state of my own race, but with the trials and tribulations of humanity as a whole. Our compassion must not be limited to members of our own race. All cultures have been woven from a common thread. We are all characters in the great human comedy. Our languages may be different, our cultures remote, but that is not what we are. We are human.
This is where my miracle makes its appearance. Granted the power, I would make it so that all people viewed everyone as their equals, as members of a great family that extended across the globe. Same may say that is too idealistic. To them, I reply that I would prefer to be idealistic than to succumb to the problems that prevail today, and have since the beginning of civilization.
Think of it for a moment. Would the Turks have massacred the Armenians if they saw them as their brethren? If everyone treated others as their deserving equals, would there be segregation? If self-interest were abolished from the human psyche, would the Hegelian dilemma between the poor and the rich exist? Poverty fuels the fire of human misery. Armenia itself depends on contributions from the Diaspora for one third of its national income. The GDP is less than $ 4,00. Thus, the past and present woes of Armenians are interwoven with the fate and character of humanity as a whole.
Why do I think that a miracle is required to accomplish such an extraordinary feat? The answer is simple, but saddening. All the foibles of human beings, from self-interest, to insecurity, to the erection of racial barriers, are so undeniably ingrained into human nature that it would take miracle to extricate them without redefining the entire concept of being human. Within the labyrinthine depths of human character lurks the potential for greatness, but, excepting a few great individuals, it has not been manifested very often in the history of human beings.
Our is a history of wars and persecutions, ongoing genocides and blatant discrimination. I could perform a miracle; I would guide humanity from the mire of war and poverty into the rays of enlightenment.
Do I wish for the prosperity and longevity of Armenian culture? Certainly. But it mustn’t end there. Armenia is but a part of the human body, and the whole body must be healthier for its parts to be strong.