What can one write on a Sunday morning when everyone is waiting not for this commentary but silently, nervously, anxiously, calmly, assuredly, doubtfully, for the result of the general election?
Khaled Hosseini, in his novel A Thousand Splendid Suns embodies the feeling many are experiencing right now: “Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.”
There are also undoubtedly many who are certain that the result will not be to their liking. Probably Paolo Coelho gives voice to their anxiety in his novel Eleven Minutes: If pain must come, may it come quickly.
Some issues will be solved by the election. It will tell us who will govern our country. But the length of the tenure would still need to be determined by circumstances, not all of which will be in the control of the victor. In 2013, who could have predicted an election a year ahead of time?
Who will govern is a very important issue but it is not the only one. There are other very important issues that the election will not solve. What is right or wrong – not just what is legal or illegal – is not for the popular vote to decide. The courts will have to decide on the legality or otherwise of a number of very important cases. Three magisterial investigations are under way. Their conclusions, though distinct from the political process, can impact it heavily.
There are other very important aspects that neither the election nor the legal process can answer. As a nation we have to take a long, critical and hard look at ourselves. What is the predominant value system that defines us? Are we still grovelling around the lower end of Maslow’s hierarchy of values, that is, are we still enslaved to materialistic values such as the acquisition of more money and personal favours that result in unsavoury and undignified compromises with our consciences? Or have we, as a nation, moved towards higher values that respect meritocracy, honesty and integrity?
The election result will say a lot about us individually and as a nation
Are we as a nation ready to sell our souls to the highest bidder regardless of whether what the bidder offers is right or wrong?
The election result will say a lot about us individually and as a nation. It could very well be that what it says points to unacceptable monstrosities. Hopefully this will not be the case; but one can never be certain.
The last few weeks showed that there are so many Pilates around that some of our most important institutions have become bulwarks of the abusers instead of a means of liberation and support of the innocent. This issue is one of the topics I tackled in the recently published book Pilates of the Mediterranean. The book, though based on several of my commentaries here and on timesofmalta.com, goes beyond them. Some of the commentaries were re-written to reflect current realities and some material has not been published before. The book is enriched by two erudite studies by Prof. Juanito Camilleri and Rev, Prof, George Grima.
The book’s title is lifted from my commentary of April 7, 2017. In the introduction to my book I made the connection and added to it. I wrote that: “Pilate is one of the characters of the Passion narrative that I dislike a lot. He is worse than Judas and the Pharisees. Had he done what was expected of him, the malicious work of Judas and the rest of the leaders would have come to nought.
“In my commentary I addressed the Pilates that are responsible for several State institutions. But there are Pilates in civil society, the Church, industry and the rest of Maltese society. Washing one’s hands seems to be a national malady. One can wash one’s hands but this does not mean that doing so one also washes away one’s duty. That is what my parents taught me.”
The book’s sub-title shows that it tackles other subjects besides current Pilates: the concomitant collapse of the institutions and the tsunami of corruption that our country is drowning in. The sub-title states: reflections on God, politics, the media and society.
The book expounds on the politically and socially explosive potential of the Christian concept of God and of the most important celebrations in Christianity, mainly Christmas, Lent and Easter. I propose a model of the Church as an outward-looking and all-inclusive community that should be compared more to a rainbow than a club. My commitment for the Church is shown in many commentaries but, at the same time, I do not shy away from criticising the institution where I feel such criticism is due.
The media receive particular attention. I re-wrote several commentaries to analyse the media sector in a holistic way while proposing how it is radically changing the way we live and re-structure society. I propose a concept of an inclusive and just society that shuns the throwaway culture and the neo-liberal economic system that spawns the inequalities we see around us. I write an appraisal of 13 different people ranging from popes to priests and politicians. But the commentary most close to my heart is the piece I wrote about my father and my mother.
The book reflects who I am and what I stand for: my journey through life and my experience growing up – and now older – as a priest, 40 years after ordination, on this beautiful but at times tumultuous island we call home. I am happy to allow my readers to draw their own conclusions and judgement, and hopefully, to ponder on the underlying messages I seek to convey.
joseph.borg@um.edu.mt