During a phone conversation with his family, Ruben Vardanyan expressed gratitude to all those who have supported him and his relatives, and read philosophical lines by Imad ad-Din Nasimi with his own interpretation, sharing his formula for life that helps preserve inner freedom after more than 21,000 hours in prison.
“I want to say that it is truly remarkable that all these thoughts you read in different, absolutely different sources have a single origin — wisdom — though their forms differ.
I also want to share with you (dedicating it to my beloved wife, whose birthday was recently) a short and a long version of the formula for life. Some preferred the short version, others perhaps the longer one.
Live simply, love generously, care sincerely, speak from the heart, keep learning constantly, know yourself, believe without doubt, do not fear death, forgive and do not judge, and walk your path fearlessly.
That is the short version.
And the long version:
Live simply, joyfully and 100 percent in the present moment.
Love generously, give everything without asking anything in return.
Care sincerely, but carefully, so as not to harm, because goodness enforced through violence is no longer goodness.
Speak from the heart, honestly and briefly.
Believe without doubt or hesitation, without fanaticism.
Learn by knowing yourself and the world — continuously, diligently and with love.
Forgive, do not judge.
Do not fear death, be prepared for it and do not hasten it in any way.
And walk your path fearlessly, leaving everything else to God. Leaving everything else to God.
So in both cases, if we act this way, if we take these simple steps, leaving everything else to God, everything will be fine.
I want to say thank you. Forgive me for digressing. It is not easy.
I marked an interesting milestone here: I have now been here for 21,000 hours and… It is an unusual feeling. Seventy-five million moments. And when you live on this scale, you suddenly understand how differently everything feels — every single moment. I want to say that I love you all, I am grateful, and I am very happy to have such a family and such relatives.
Thank you to everyone, including strangers who write to me. I receive so many letters from people I do not know…
Thank you very much for your kindness, your words, your energy. Especially when it is handwritten — you can feel the thoughts. Write by hand more often. Write letters to one another. Write to your loved ones, to your family.
That is all. I embrace you all, I love you very much, and I am glad I can share my thoughts and feelings with you,” Vardanyan said.
A court in Baku has sentenced Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. Amnesty International described the verdict as a mockery of justice. Jared Genser has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to fulfill his public promise to help secure the release of Armenian detainees.
