I dare say it is “Migbeism” where one has to be first and foremost a Tigrean where the rest is details. I am sure, the reader agrees with me if I say, that ought to be the Golden Rule. Tigray’s Golden Rule. 

Today, it was a joy to see General Migbey Haile on Zoom when he graced us not only with his warm presence but inspired us with his radiant and yet humble attitude as he touched base on the challenges and opportunities Tigray is presented with and the way forward as well. 

We are living in an extraordinary time when Tigray is not only in transition but stepping on uncharted waters not only on a path to independence but to reinvent herself to greatness as well. This is not hyperbole but a reality where the extraordinary unity of Tigreans is a historic testament to that effect. 

A Spanish saying has it that, there are no roads, roads are made by walking. Enemies may have razed Tigray to the ground where the maligning intent was to turn her back to the stone ages but the setback is turning into opportunity where Tigray is rising from the ashes as the proverbial Sphinx. A thousand years old Sycamore tree was once a seedling or a kernel so were all the great nations in history including when Rome was not built in a day. We are at that exciting moment. A moment to witness history in the making where the rest of us tell posterity, when we say, “we were there.” 

The collective philosophy or national ethos if you will is, first we have to be Tigreans, as Hillel, the Jewish sage and religious scholar put it in 2nd century BCE, when he said, follow the Golden Rule [What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow men, the rest is commentary] and equally, Migbeism’s Golden Rule advises us just that, the rest is merely commentary including the commotion in the background when enemies and detractors try to throw us off track. 

What does it even mean to be a Tigrean first and foremost? To be proud of who we are; to preserve our identity, our culture, values, tradition and history. And most importantly, to love one another including those who do us harm. We do not hate for hate is a vice not a virtue but we seek justice when we equally forgive those who did us wrong. That is a character and that is what being human is including being a Tigrean as well. People may hate you, Richard Nixon once famously said, and if you hate them back, you destroy yourself. Amor Vincit Omnia.