Philosophy in Maltese is not a usual occurrence. Joe Friggieri, Mark Montebello OP, and Anton Sammut, say, have written a few books; I did my bit with the late Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici (who sadly passed away this week two years ago). Now my friend since University years, Alan Xuereb, has joined the club through his engaging 382-page book called Riflessjonijiet dwar il-Ġid Komuni [Reflections on the Common Good]. It’s a book about politics, political philosophy, and philosophy of law.

My intention isn’t to review the book. Instead, I want to react to it.

The author modestly called the book “Reflections”. In point of fact, it’s more than that. It’s really a book of philosophy. But – and I cannot overstate this – it’s not a boring, abstract book replete with incomprehensible terms and airy-fairy concepts, like certain philosophy texts tend to be which aim to impress the reader with their author’s verbiage and erudition more than with his thoughts. On the contrary, the philosophy in Alan Xuereb’s book is wedded to literary elements, as his style of writing is remarkably flowing and accessible. I think he chose wisely when he chose to write in Maltese, not only because he’s obviously skilful but also because the text delivers an intimate and clear message to the Maltese reader.

Whereas there are a handful of points on which my opinion differs from his, I subscribe to Dr Xuereb’s overarching theme that the common good can only be achieved if there’s justice. This evidently necessitates a discussion on what the “common good” and “justice” are. Dr Xuereb’s comfortable in his own skin as he shares his reflections on these two concepts, and at times, even slips in refined humour. Dr Xuereb has a shining smile and I can imagine it as he manipulated the text to create the context for a little joke here and there. I’m telling you, it’s an enjoyable book.

But it’s not a flippant book, mind you. All said and done, it’s a well-constructed exercise in defining the Nationalist Party’s philosophy.

The common good’s a notion that deserves serious discussion. To my mind, society’s characterised by continuous conflict – everybody believes his/her notion of what’s good is the notion of good common to all. But since, deep down, we’re all philosophers, it follows that everybody has their own notions (rooted in self-interest most of the time) that collide with the notions of others. The politician’s role’s to strike the right balance between competing notions to identify and implement the common good – that’s to say, the point of equilibrium where the liberty of one is protected at the same time that everybody else’s is. Protecting liberty’s no picnic; it entails constant hard work. Without hard work, liberty degenerates into either tyranny or anarchy. Xogħol Ġustizzja Libertà – to paraphrase Dr Xuereb’s reasoning – weren’t only the triad of values promised by the PN in 1987, but have also been the beacons of the PN’s core political philosophy ever since.

Which brings me to the book’s Epilogue, written by none other than the PN Leader himself. In this short essay, Dr Grech unfolds the philosophy that underpins his political vision: the two-way flow between individual and community. Quoting Dr Xuereb, Bernard Grech makes his the concept that “the common good begins with me”. Dr Grech then elaborates his own thoughts (my translation):

“[T]he challenges of our times, particularly the challenges our country faces, don’t require only the skills of leaders who are the right (wo)men at the right time. These leaders need to engage in a conscious exercise so that in politics too they find an alternative, new, and innovative energy that comes from citizens, civil society, thinkers, academics, professionals and people from all walks of life who want and show they want to make the difference.

“Thus citizen participation,” continues Dr Grech, “is no longer expressed only through the ballot, comments on social media, referendums or petitions, or street protests, but also through various forums that aren’t an integral part of political party structures but allow opinions and skills of citizens to create new energy.

“For the politician of our times to be effective,” Dr Grech argues, “he needs to understand that he isn’t the exclusive source of wisdom but the medium through which people sit round the table of effective dialogue. He must ensure he’s transparent and communicative with everybody, especially with journalists whose job is not just to receive and transmit news but to analyse news.

“Basic values – that include the holistic health of every person in society, the idea that all have or can have a role, the agreement on air, water, sea, land and vegetation being elements that need to be safeguarded by seeking the balance with human needs while protecting the climate that affects human health –, all these are nuances of the good common that are indispensable for the collective good. But equally important are good governance, the rule of law, timely justice, freedom of expression and its protection, serenity on the workplace, at home, and wherever you happen to be, a healthcare system accessible to all and cares for our elderly, the necessary support for all those who face hurdles to participate in society or to live with dignity, so that we achieve equity. The value of work and equal pay for equal skills, the value of industriousness, entrepreneurship, investment, service and product supply, hospitality, and education (to be strongly supported and widespread) – these are all elements without which the common good cannot be safeguarded!”

This is an excellent book, really worth reading. Not to mention the appendices, penned by Judge Aaron Bugeja and Drs Chris Vella and Hubert Theuma, and introductory pieces by Professor Carmel Tabone OP and Dr Louis Galea, that convey a lot of insight.

The one defect I can see in this book is that it would have greatly benefitted from an index.

 

Weed

An acquaintance has sent me this loosely-constructed, almost stream-of-consciousness-like, email written as if he were under the influence. “Now cannabis-smoking will be legalised... despite the myriad scientific reports describing its adverse effects on the brain... little by little chaos will engulf us, as more people will smoke more (and take harder drugs)… they’ll mess up at work and drive like madmen... pressure will pile up and society will crave for order... but the lotus-eaters (whose numbers will grow) won’t want to vote against lotus-eating... democracy will be useless, and so will liberalism... for order to be restored, democracy will be ditched... the libertine liberals are nailing the coffin of democracy... keep in mind that the real watershed moments are major, traumatic events, like those brought about by sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague ... it won’t be tomorrow, but the journey has begun”.

I guessed he had been smoking pot and getting apocalyptic visions.

“Nah,” I emailed back. “Calm down and keep trusting the Government! They’re in control and they know what they’re doing!”

I probably convinced him. He replied, “Yeah! To hell with order and caution! Let’s live today! Who’s ever seen tomorrow?”

So that’s that, and we can move on. Let’s legalise weed, regularise prostitution (with or without Ms Cutajar), and then on to juicier innovations.

 

Effects of marijuana-smoking

Just for prudish dinosaurs, mind you.

A.     Effects of short-term use

·         Impaired short-term memory, making it difficult to learn and to retain information

·         Impaired motor coordination, interfering with driving skills and increasing the risk of injuries

·         Altered judgment, increasing the risk of sexual behaviours that facilitate the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases

·         In high doses, paranoia and psychosis

 

B.     Effects of long-term or heavy use

·         Addiction

·         Altered brain development

·         Poor educational outcome, with increased likelihood of dropping out of school

·         Cognitive impairment, with lower IQ among those who were frequent users during adolescence

·         Diminished life satisfaction and achievement

·         Symptoms of chronic bronchitis

·         Increased risk of chronic psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia) in persons with a disposition to such disorders.

The list – compiled by the illiberal, hoity-toity, killjoy, nasty, snobbish, stuck-up, envious, short-pricked, frigid and impotent, Vatican-agent, Mesozoic calamity howlers who pompously and self-righteously refer to themselves as “experts” – is taken from that obnoxious, castrating, mouldy, troglodyte, Fascistic, patriarchal, hegemonic, normative-power, Paleolithic rag pompously and self-righteously called The New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med. 2014 Jun 5; 370(23): 2219–2227). The list was established according to that old-fashioned, discredited, asphyxiating, boring, bigot, conservative, condescending, right-wing, judgmental, Medieval practice pompously and self-righteously referred to as “scientific observation”.

If you’re still young, and you’re reading this and you smoke pot, stop. They’re telling you it’s okay, but it’s really not. What concerns you is your health and your life. Yeah, smoking pot makes you look and feel cool. But it’s doing you no good. It’s in your interest to stop. Face life, and fight the beasts that destiny has hurled at you. Don’t waste your golden years smoking grass. Be the hero you’re meant to be, not a sissy coward. Yeah, it’s fashionable to be a sissy these days. Do not conform! You’re an individual, you don’t need thought control, you’re not meat for a meat-mincing machine. Fight back, spit back in their face, grab the sword life offers you – it always offers some sort of sword – and accept the duel, dare like an eagle, fight off the tyranny of conformism. And give the middle finger to those who – like the pushers and who’s behind them – want to grow rich at your expense.

 

Brexit woes

So far it seems that people are only slowly waking up to the realities of post-Brexit life. They are experiencing huge delays in the delivery of mail from the UK. Car importers are facing a situation that could kill off their businesses. Other importers are luckier as they can seek other suppliers, but still it’s challenging when you have to shift from protocols and procedures you have got used to. All in all, post-Brexit is not a rosy situation.

Are we having a nation-wide debate on the meaning of Brexit for us, as a former British colony? Are we considering the implications for many of the non-tangible aspects of our economy and social fabric that, owing to historical and psychological reasons, are still dependent on Britain? Or are we living in trance, in a kind of “business-as-usual”, “waves-in-the-sea” delusional fairy tale?

Has the time come to cut the neo-colonial umbilical cord?

This is the third time I’m writing on the need for a national Brexit debate. I’ll keep writing about it as I consider it a national priority. Our multi-layered relationship with Britain has to change because circumstances have changed. We’ve got to leave the comfort zone.

Resisting a changing reality is the recipe for disaster.