Life is an echo. What you send out comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give you get in return. What exists in others exists in you. Do not judge so that you will not be judged but radiate and give love and love will come back to you.
“The mind’s true work lies in the power to choose, reject, desire, repel, prepare, intend and affirm. A corrupt mind is a barrier to the fulfilment of its own potential,” wrote Epictetus.
We, Maltese and Gozitans, need to listen to what Shakespeare had said: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” We must decide now as tomorrow will be too late.
“Unexpressed emotions will never die,” Sigmund Freud noted. “They are buried alive and will come forward later in uglier ways. But man is very wise because he is able to distinguish between error and accuracy.”
In our dear islands, we abuse humanity and get away with it. Very often, the real values are disappearing and harmony among the people is lacking because laws are not enforced and justice is not equal for all citizens.
The morale of the police is sometimes low. Is this coming from the top?
The judiciary is very lenient with lawbreakers in the execution of justice. The good foot soldiers in the police force are trying very hard to do their job. However, certain decisions by the judiciary at times appear very frivolous, discouraging the police and people, feeling let down by those who carry a moral responsibility to ensure justice prevails.
Don Lorenzo Milani used to shout from the pulpit: “It is useless to keep hands clean but in one’s pocket. Try to occupy them.”
In his Inferno, Dante wrote: “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, maintain their great neutrality.”
In our sensitive situation, we need inspirational leaders, consistently mentoring and investing in the success of their citizens. The government should be a good role model when it comes to civic behaviour. Instead, government members are teaching a significant section of our population how to break the rules with impunity.
Even if they do not admit it, the people are not happy with the toxic atmosphere we are breathing. We are giving a bad example to each other, especially our children, making a deep dichotomy between being a citizen and a Christian.
People are fed up and angry but all remain passive and silent, though some do wonder what they can do to stay on the right track.
A profound apathy reigns among the public and we are losing our dignity in being Maltese citizens. There is too much emphasis on material values rather than a will to live according to the gospel message. We cannot boast of Catholic Malta anymore.
We need to open our eyes and understand the present reality of Malta and Gozo- Fr Charles Cini
We give more importance to money and materialism, accepting everything and anything. Our priorities are money, power and pleasure. Still, people are fed up and angry as this is causing many psychological problems.
We do not appreciate each other anymore and we are not grateful to each other: no smiles, no etiquette, no gratitude and no manners. Even the simple words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are now things of the past.
Our extravagant festas are becoming, for many, an uncontrollable addiction and, for some non-churchgoers, a hobby to practise once a year. There is no longer a distinction between band marches and Church functions. It has become amusement for a few days and, then, we holiday throughout the rest of the year.
A close Italian friend of mine, who was visiting Malta lately, told me: “Why do you spend so much money on your village festas, fireworks and decorations when people are losing their dignity, their homes are destroyed and die of hunger in Ukraine? Where is your dignity as human beings, your roots, your history and your courage to live, your smile and, especially, your peace of heart? All this because power became a means of suppression. You have reached the bottom of your Christian dignity.”
In Malta and Gozo, our problem is not guns but hearts without God, homes without discipline, schools without prayer and courtrooms without justice.
Sometimes, we spend our life questioning others. Instead, at least once a day, we should be questioning ourselves to find out how we can help our world to function better.
It is certain that, in our case, ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.
We are becoming strange people in Malta, disorientated citizens. We urgently need to open our eyes and understand the present reality of Malta and Gozo.
We badly need to “be good Christians and honest citizens”, as Don Bosco used to say.
I sign off with words of wisdom uttered by a prestigious Maltese woman in Brussels, a political icon we should all be proud of, Roberta Metsola: “Rights must be protected. Fulfil our rights to capacity. It is easy to be pessimistic. Remember, don’t give in to cynicism. We need responsibility to change and shape lives and change the campaigns that are fought and won.”
Fr Charles Cini is a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco.