Our country is endowed with many talents and, by and large, we can safely say that we enjoy a very good standard of living. Both of the above are things that have come through the hard work and savoire faire of our forefathers, be it through talents, good foresight or the seizing of opportunities that have come both their and our way over the past few decades. This in turn has contributed to the standards that we set for ourselves and to which we are now accustomed.

Striving to achieve more, striving to live more comfortably and striving to enhance ourselves morally and physically is laudable. What has become of increasing concern of late is the attitude with which we face circumstances, the attitude with which we have come to expect more and more, the attitude with which we have come to believe that our success has transformed us into something greater than we really are. In a nutshell, we are becoming more and more egocentric, with higher expectations and the disposition to do the bare minimum of what is required or expected from us.

Lest we forget: dust we are and to dust we shall return. Materialism and authority are not things we should hold too close to our hearts. These come and go and, worse still, they will not be needed once we pass on to our afterlife. The greater the rise, the greater the fall, if we are not careful and humble.

I note, as I have said, that of late the culture of me, myself and I, the culture of self-interest, is raising its head to a degree that is starting to border on egoism. We seem to forget that we cannot survive in splendid isolation and that none of us are islands in our daily world but are fully dependent on each other.

The issues which people raise, the complaints you constantly hear, are all personally related based on the FYJ principle, the micro picture superseding the macro picture when, in reality, the micro feeds on the macro. I note this in my various discussions with people I come across in my daily life – whether social, cultural, political or legal – people who complain about personal advancement, many times without basis, people who request this that and the other, again without legal or moral basis.

There is no doubt that the general election which our country is facing in a few weeks increases the incidence of such occurrences. There is also no doubt that, during those few weeks, both the government and the Opposition will be falling victim to these predators. Whether in government or in opposition, this quickly becomes a question of forced promises. And the pressure is not only individual in nature, as the unions are also seizing the moment, pushing up their demands and threatening militant action and other measures.

People seem to be oblivious to the fact that, come what may, the sun will still rise on 11 March. Whichever party it is that wins the right to govern, all these pressures and promises will be there to be resolved; all the unreasonable demands – either given into or promised – will still be there to be reconciled with and to haunt the government of the day.

Society has changed during the past couple of decades. What was permissible in the past is no longer permissible today and comes under the scrutiny of both local and European checks and balances and systems. Mistakes will cost us dearly, so the situation calls for restraint and maturity. As we become more Europeanised (we have our 10th anniversary of European membership just around the corner) we cannot expect only our country to become more mature. We are the social fabric of our country, and if we do not disassociate ourselves from the personal in the decisions we take and in the expectations we have, the fall will eventually be very great and too hard to bear.

Earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI gave us all a lesson in humility when he decided to make a bold decision in acknowledgement of the fact that we are all human and do not live in eternity in this world. He has sent us a clear reminder that we should not – and are not – to attribute too much to our authority and position of strength and power. We must not attach too much to ourselves and to our expectations. These are all materialistic and they go as easily as they come.

The Pope decided to take a step second to none, to show the world that one has to face the reality of the situation one is in. He withdrew from one of the most revered and authoritative positions in the world because he felt he could not be of service as he should be. If this is not a lesson, then what is?

Can you imagine how many people in our society believe that they lead the world as they achieve authoritative positions of all sorts and shapes? How many of these people forget that they were put there in their various positions to earn a living, as well as to give a service? Why does this then translate to the culture of the personal, as though the state owes these people everything and if they do not obtain what they want, they sulk?

It is time to think about Pope Benedict’s tacit message and wake up to reality before it is too late.