We’ve got everything going for us when as Maltese we proclaim that we want to have everything, without wanting anything. But we want access to a comfortable life, so long as it can be accessed comfortably. If discipline is needed, well of course we’re for it right across, so long as it is applied to others. Yes, we support welfare programmes benefitting our fellows and ourselves – so long as personally, we do not need to carry too many burdens when doing so.

Are we unique? Or is everybody just like us? Do we favour the common good only for as long as it satisfies our direct needs? Such questions recall the claims that former British conservative PM Margaret Thatcher used to make – and her political insights still calibrate our lives today. Society does not exist, she would say; there are only individuals and they strive to achieve their right to enjoy the good life.

If that’s true, then we’re all right, so long as one and all are able to care for themselves. The state just has to ensure that this is happening.

Problems arise though when some people who also want to enjoy all there is, band together to ensure they achieve this enjoyment, for themselves well before the rest.

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Domestic violence

Details that have been made public recently about cases of domestic violence are appalling. It is clear that this is afestering social problem with deep roots in our country, and it cannot be easily brought under control.

Progress has been made. Victims are not feeling as much as they did before that reporting their experiences would make things worse. Protection services are improving and the hope is that they will get better.

But is domestic violence on the rise, or are more and more cases coming out in the open simply because there is a greater awareness about the problem? If it is on the rise, it will be important to know the reasons for this and perhaps too, important to check whether they are linked to the prevalence of social exploitation in the country at large.

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Religion

I had to agree with the remark somebody made: the fact that religious belief and participation in religious practices have been in serious decline, is also contributing to a decline in social cohesion within the Maltese community.  Such cohesion encourages feelings of solidarity amd mutual respect among citizens while promoting prudence and discipline in behaviour, as well as a stronger civic consciousness.

However, I could not agree with the conclusion that to arrest its decline and strengthen social cohesion, given that this is desirable, we necessarily need to expand the presence of religion in the country at large.

In first place, religion should primarily remain a sense of belonging and commitment that every individual must decide upon for him/herself.

Secondly, as a mechanism which also serves to generate unity within society, religous practice enforces and imposes ways by which to affect behaviour in order to make it “acceptable”.

A cohesion that has been imposed is less than attractive. It restricts an individual’s liberty and creates personal and social injustices. The challenge is how to promote social cohesion among citizens as they continue to enjoy total liberty.