Many have a very low threshold for boredom. They easily become frustrated when everything remains the same in their lives for far too long. They seek excitement and new experiences to spice up their lives. They may be quite busy people who have more than enough to fill their days with various activities. Then an incident happens that makes them long for the good old days when everything was ‘normal’.
The terrorist attack on foreign tourists in Tunis shows exactly how precious and fragile normality is. One moment hundreds of tourists are sunbathing on the beach enjoying their hard-earned summer holiday, the next they are running for their lives with over 30 of them killed by two terrorist gunmen. It was heart-breaking watching not just the families of the slain tourists grieving their loss, but also the hundreds of Tunisian hotel workers contemplating what life would be like for them and their families when they lost their jobs as a result of the collapse of the tourism industry in their country.
In our own context the risk of contagion of the terrorism that prevails in North Africa is possibly the most serious challenge our economy faces. Being islands, our sea borders are wide open for possible infiltration by terrorists who want to sow fear and death where the normality for visitors is the peaceful enjoyment of our weather and beaches.
But this is a reality that worries every political leader in Europe. On recent visits to Italy I noticed hundreds of armed soldiers walking the streets, guarding against possible terrorist acts by lone mavericks who believe that their mission in life is to punish those who just want to get on with their lives without caring about religious or political indoctrination.
Another country where ordin-ary people long for normality is Greece. The never-ending saga of negotiations to resolve the debt crisis has sapped the energy of millions of Greeks who feel let down by the EU and their own present and past political leaders. Suddenly pensioners who depend on their state pension find the doors of banks closed and wonder where they are going to get the money to buy the next supply of medicine that they need so badly.
The risk of contagion of the terrorism that prevails in North Africa is possibly the most serious challenge our economy faces
Whether Greece remains in the eurozone or not, one thing is certain: life in Greece will never be normal again. Thousands of bright young graduates are leaving the country seeking employment in the rest of the EU and America. International investors – the lifeblood suppliers of direct foreign investment – will continue to shy away until the ‘new’ Greece shows some signs of normality.
In the bigger scenario the whole of the EU badly needs the return of normality. Far too many young people remain unemployed in countries like Spain, Italy, Portugal and even Ireland. Sociologists fear that in some EU countries we will have a lost generation of young people who, by the time they are in their mid-30s, would never have held a job. Many of them will be highly educated but will give up on forming a traditional family because of the financial uncertainty in their lives. At the same time trade unions will stubbornly defend the status quo by insisting that older workers continue to enjoy the work-related benefits that were the norm three decades ago.
Ironically, for things to remain the same we all need to change. Normality means having the standard of living and quality of life to make you a satisfied and productive member of society. No politician can guarantee this without spelling out the hard work that needs to be done to support the kind of benefits we all get used to: good pensions; free education, free medical care, and a safe environment where law and order are given paramount importance.
The challenges for a small country like Malta to preserve its normality are even more daunting as we are often affected by events that happen outside our control. Political decisions taken in Brussels can at times affect us immensely. For instance, any changes in fiscal regulation at EU level can affect major sectors of our economy.
Similarly the way that the EU decides to manage the immig-ration crisis can have a profound effect on our economy and society. Tourism is a fragile industry that can be easily affected if the ‘normality’ that visitors are used to when in Malta is suddenly disrupted.
johncassarwhite@yahoo.com