Over the past week, I’ve concluded that as a nation nothing makes us happier than waving the white flag.

“There, there,” we mutter to ourselves, “let’s not burn bridges, ey, because we never know who we might need in life.”

This is the motto of our society, and here it comes in Latin, so that we can sculpt it in limestone on our façades: ‘Nemo dissidendus qui tibi adhuc viventi opem ferat’.

You can tell, perhaps, that I am more than slightly miffed by the official position taken by Malta regarding the Libyan situation. But in truth, I should not have been surprised for it is nothing but the product of our national psyche.

An online poll on timesofmalta .com asked readers whether Malta should remain neutral in the military action authorised by the UN against Libya: 52 per cent voted ‘Yes’ and only 27 per cent said ‘No’. This is typical of a society which believes that neutrality is the ultimate aim.

This, unfortunately, is none other than silly island mentality which at the best makes us quirky and at worst makes us shoot ourselves in the foot. Precisely because we are an island, we believe we are at the centre of the world and so we fail to see beyond our doorstep.

For us, neutrality is essential not because it will lead us to a zen-like nirvana but because it’s a neat and tidy way of avoiding conflict – hence the survival of the islander.

It starts off with our incapacity to assert personal preferences. How many times have you come across people who constantly babble: ‘Mhux xorta’? Tea or coffee? Mhux xorta? Do want to go out or stay in? Mhux xorta? Shall I switch the heater on? Mhux xorta? I find it supremely irritating. Make up your mind, I always want to scream.

Surely, as humans we are not born to be neutral – it’s simply not in our instinct. Imagine a conversation between two cave-dwellers:

Caveman 1: “Shall we put on the fire?”

Caveman 2: “Mhux xorta?”

Caveman 3: “Urgh?!”

Deep down, if not our brains, our intuition will always tell us whether to opt for left or right. External factors, such as the environment or basic needs, all come in to steer us into making up our minds.

The ‘mhux xorta’ mentality is the precursor to our national tendency to take a neutral stand when it comes to conflict situations.

Your friends are separating? Good Lord, make sure you avoid taking sides and keep the peace with both, because, eh, you never know who you might need. If the ex-spouse becomes the topic of conversation, try to switch the subject.

Here’s what I say to people like these: Boo sucks, the door is over there. Which is a perfectly good reason why neutrality should be abhorred: if you’re lucky you might end up with no enemies, but it’s a cert that you will also end up with no friends. The renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, in his political treatise The Prince, sums it up perfectly: “Neutrality alienates both the victor and the loser.

“The victor sees the neutral prince as a doubtful friend; the loser sees the neutral prince as weak coward. Someone who is not your friend will always request that you remain neutral, while a true friend will always ask you for your armed support.”

And for this reason, Machiavelli recommends that a good leader should always boldly declare support for one side: “Those who follow the neutral road, most of the time are ruined.”

We have it in writing from one of the most astute men in history, yet we insist on waving the white flag.

I’d like to think we weren’t always like this. Take World War II – we even won a George Cross for bravery. But, then again, let’s not forget that we were a British colony: taking up arms was not a choice really. I shudder to think what we would have done if we were independent. Our neutral-striving character is innate. An academic friend of mine recently came across a 16th century German knight’s work on Malta on the dusty shelves of the National Library. At one point he says Maltese men are canny businessmen, but mercenary and cowardly.

I find all this very sad. Our island mentality shackles us from understanding that while we can escape short-term danger through neutrality, it’s at the cost of long-term grief.

Perhaps striking off ‘mhux xorta’ from our vocabulary would be a good start. Maybe one day we’ll burn that dratted white flag once and for all.

krischetcuti@gmail.com