Of good conversation
Our ability to have a conversation is one of the defining features of what it means to be human. But simply talking is not good conversation. Here is where I think the Maltese have a problem. I admit, having good conversation all the time is hard, if not impractical, but it is a goal worth aiming for.
There are many attributes on which we can work to improve conversation. But that would require whole essays or, better still, good conversations (pun intended). There are some simple points we can keep in mind to help elevate the conversation.
1) Do not assume intentions (good or, worse still, bad) or what is in someone else’s head. Tackle what people do say and, when in doubt, ask questions.
2) Go into conversations with the mindset of resolving disagreements as opposed to getting the upper hand (I told you I was right). There is no gain in this. I find this especially true for controversial subjects such as politics or ethical issues. But when we resolve them, there are only winners and no losers.
3) There is no shame changing one’s thoughts and saying “I was wrong”. One is not a fool for admitting/acknowledging one’s own errors and one is not a hypocrite for changing one’s mind.
4) Be honest. This is not the same as demanding honesty of others but, rather, being honest with oneself during a conversation.
Now I grant that most of this is my opinion but I feel we can benefit from improving conversation. At worst, I’m wrong and I’d have to change my mind. But, really, that’s not such a bad thing.
Paul Micallef – Xagħra
COVID vaccine
If it’s true that COVID vaccination certificates are going to be valid for only six months post second dose, then people who have been fully vaccinated by the end of February need a third booster dose in August. Is this consideration being factored in? Some countries are already insisting on these valid certificates for entry to indoor locations.
The US sounds very close to authorising vaccination of teenagers. We can only hope to begin to approach normality if practically all the population is vaccinated. The “Spanish flu” of a 100 years ago vanished after only two years because it killed anything between 25 and 50 million people, so the surviving population had immunity. We are acquiring herd immunity by vaccination not by massive mortality. We also know from recent measles outbreaks that they occur when vaccination rates go down, as happened in Italy where mandatory vaccination for school entry had to be imposed.
Albert Cilia-Vincenti, pathologist and former EMA scientific delegate – Attard
The right to life
Colin MacIver, a father to two adopted children stated: “I am not fundamentally pro-life because I am against something. I am pro-life because I love life and because I love specific, unique and unrepeatable people.” I would also add that I am pro-life because every created human being has a right to be born.
Every conceived human being should have a chance to enjoy the right of being, the right of growing and achieving, basically the right to be born.
This right to life includes the right to live with human dignity and all that goes along with it.
No human being should be condemned to death.
It bewilders me how and why in 2021, when progress has become somewhat overwhelming, mankind is still debating about killing its own offspring!
As a woman and a feminist, I am proud to see the achievements of the female gender. Yes, women have now reached high places in society and, deservedly so, have come a long way in the past century. Yet, on the other hand, the courage of a woman and all her accomplishments can be significantly tarnished when the same woman, who has been awarded the gift of bearing life, advocates for the choice of terminating the life growing inside her.
My heart goes out to the women who feel that they have been caught in a trap when they find that they are carrying a child that was not planned. There are instances when the child conceived is not expected, is not created in the ideal scenario or may even be the result of an unpleasant situation.
The woman in this dilemma needs love, support, care and solutions that can help her move on in life. There are alternatives, where both the mother and the baby get a choice.
Termination only gives so-called choice to the mother; the baby has been denied his or her choice. If the baby had a choice, no doubt, he or she would choose life.
“Man appears in creation as the one who received the world as a gift and it can be said that the world received man as a gift” - John Paul II.
Let us hold on to the beauty of life as from conception to natural death.
Suzette Muscat, executive secretary, Life Network Foundation – Mosta
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