Know thyself – and only then, move on
This is my column in The Malta Independent on Sunday, today.
Those who have most to embarrass them in their relationship with the Libyan tyrant are keen to move on and gloss over the last 40 years as though they never happened, or failing that, to rewrite recent history instead.
They put on an air of impatience with ‘childish’ individuals who, they say, are keen to trade insults over who made the greatest emotional investment in Muammar Gaddafi. But it is not because they are too grown-up and sophisticated that they don’t wish to discuss the subject. It’s because they are crucified by difficulties. I will not say ‘shame’ because, from where I am standing, none appears to be in evidence.
The internet is littered with generally ill-spelt and badly constructed appeals to the denizens of Maltese politicians’ Facebook walls to ‘move on’ and ‘put this behind us’, and once we have done that, to gang up together against the Transitional National Council and bludgeon it for crude oil.
But hold on a minute. There can be no moving on until the past is scrutinised, laid bare for examination and discussed. You don’t move on with an open wound, pretending that it does not exist and convincing yourself that it is healing when what it is doing instead is festering dangerously.
Soul-searching and introspection are not the hallmarks of backwardness, as the frighteningly uniformed people who congregate around inept politicians and dismal failures on Facebook would have us believe.
The examined life is as important to society as it is to individuals. Socrates’ guiding rule was ‘know thyself’, and this applies in the collective as it does in the personal. Much of our confusion as a nation, many of the mistakes we make repeatedly, the damaging behavioural patterns which hold us back, are because, in terms of society, we live an unexamined life.
We do not know ourselves and worse still, we do not want to know and we fight off any attempts that are made to force our faces into such self-knowledge and make us see.
In the matter of Libya, the population is split between those who want to know, who have hit the internet and are using Google’s advanced search facility to call up international news articles from the 1970s and 1980s, sharing them with others and exchanging information, those who don’t give a damn either way because they have the maturity of a 10-year-old, and those who want to ‘move on’ without giving the last four decades a second glance.
But those are the decades which shaped our destiny and certainly the fate of the Labour Party. This examination of the past has resulted in a great deal of point-scoring, yes, but it is essential if we are truly to know ourselves.
The freedom to move on comes not from forgetting or from denial, but from coming to terms with the truth, or the closest we can get to it.
The Labour Party’s immediate decision to pretend nothing had happened, after six months of silence and a total refusal to comment because of ‘prudence’, invites catastrophe.
It has been there before on so many other issues, and if it is true that the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result, it really is time for Labour to do the adult thing, sit down and take stock. The people with the most disastrous lives are those who hurtle from one mess to another without even realising that they are messes, or that every fresh mess compounds the others, because their state of denial is complete.
Just two years ago, Joseph Muscat’s party held a big conference at its Mile End headquarters to celebrate 40 years of its relationship with Libya, a euphemism for Gaddafi because Libya is a lot older than four decades.
Now here that same party is, pretending that the past six months of terror did not happen, that the revelations of 42 years of torture, murder, disappearances and gross human rights violations are just whispers in the wind, and that Gaddafi merely walked away as though he never existed, leaving all the shiny happy people to cheer their way to democracy with a little feast at Labour HQ.
It was beyond belief that when Joseph Muscat took to the podium to harangue his guests at the first-ever reception organised for Muslims at Labour HQ, he spoke only about the Labour Party and did not once refer to the Arab Spring, still less Gaddafi.
It is one of the worst cases of denial I have observed. If the Labour Party were a human being, instead of an organisation, we could safely say that it is in shock and needs the appropriate psychiatric care. Either that or it is still in the early denial stage of the bereavement process.
Middle-aged politicians and their hangers-on seem to favour decorating their Facebook walls with quotations in much the same way that teenagers in the 1980s decorated their bedroom walls with Hallmark posters and cute quotes on pictures of kittens and flowers and fields (“Today is the first day of the rest of your life”), so if I might just suggest one, here it is:
“This above all: To thine own self be true, for it must follow as dost the night the day, that canst not then be false to any man.”
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Bang on cue:
“Replying to a question on the situation in Libya, Dr Muscat said he was happy for the Libyan people. He said the humanitarian aid being funnelled to Libya through Malta was a good point of departure for new economic relations with Libya and he hoped that the Maltese people would not waste their time on useless exchanges on the past.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110904/local/Debt-servicing-costs-of-550000-a-day-need-to-be-tackled-Muscat.383242
Maltastar said it better:
“On the situation in Libya the Leader of the Opposition said he was happy for the Libyan people. He said the humanitarian aid being sent to Libya through Malta is a good point of departure for new economic relations with Libya”.
Imma kif ma jisthux.
Support for Muammar Gaddafi from the people of Malta:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-for-Muammar-Gaddafi-from-Malta/173585636026366
Most of the members posting comments are Eastern European (no surprises there – Gaddafi’s electronic army is mostly eastern European).
But here’s one Maltese person who joined the group, but actively promoted it on Facebook last April:
https://www.facebook.com/karl.mifsud?sk=wall
Just posted the following comment on Malta Today:
The rebel forces are under the control of Abdul Hakim Belhaj, a leading Islamist who holds the official title of Commander of the Military Council in the transitional government. He also co-founded and led the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which is on the US and UK terror lists (See: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/09/02/libya.belhaj.profile/index.html ; http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm ; http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/counter-terrorism/proscribed-terror-groups/proscribed-groups?view=Binary ).
Belhaj’s forces formed a major part of Al-Qaeda’s thrust against US and NATO forces in Iraq as this West Point study shows: http://tarpley.net/docs/CTCForeignFighter.19.Dec07.pdf ; Important detail here:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nFE_dYi0Yuo/TmJNGCF4MzI/AAAAAAAAA04/w7bzDt3_R0o/s1600/WestPointStats.jpg
Note in the chart detailed above that most Al Qaeda anti-NATO forces came from Eastern Libya. These Islamists are the same forces now trained by the CIA, MI6, SAS and French special forces to take over Libya. There are no accidents and errors here. This has long been planned.
See also: Al-Qaeda asset is military commander of Tripoli (RT video) – http://rt.com/usa/news/al-qaeda-libya-commander-escobar-269/
Mela, ahjar nergaw ingibu Gaddafi lura. X’tahseb?
I disagree, La Redoute – best to keep reminding oursleves how bad Gaddafi was so these guys won’t seem as bad when their democratic extravaganza is unleashed on the Libyan people.
Blimey. Kevin and I finally agree.
‘Democracy unleashed’. Good for you, Kevvy. Off the dope?
It all depends on how well organised and powerful the ‘dubious’ factions. The mullahs in Iran were able to seize power for the simple reason that they had strong grassroots and were far more organised than their former ‘allies’. This seems to be happening in Egypt too.
PS. Try using a source other then the Kremlin’s propaganda machine if you want to be taken seriously.
Kevin’s sources are entirely reliable. His information is correct. The leader of the Eastern rebel faction is a militant Islamist, and many rebel fighters were trained in Afghanistan. All this is well known, not just by Kevin.
Where we differ is in our conclusion. I say “So what?”
Kev, why do I get the feeling you’re actually looking forward to all this – and not just to be able to crow ‘I told you so’?
Baxxter – So What? The Libyan people have been deceived, that’s what. If they truly wanted a democratic government, they’re not going to have one – not in the forceable future.
Western forces have knowingly trained, armed and supported Islamist forces whose leaders have long sworn not to share power. These forces form the backbone of this hijacked ‘Arab Spring’ – with courtesy of the West.
Deceived? Do you think they don’t read the websites you cut and paste from?
Then again, my only objective in anything is the well-being of Europe. It was in our interest to have Gaddafi removed. If it takes Islamists to do so, then so be it. If a few thousand Libyans die, then so be it. I’m not into the bleeding heart bullshit game.
You might not be “into the bleeding heart bullshit game,” Baxxter, but your heart would bleed profusely if one day we faced an anti-Western, Islamic alliance extending from Morocco to Pakistan.
I say this because I don’t trust our overlords; because I know their psyche all too well (no, not ‘the Jews’, Baxxter, lest you ask again – even if the Jewish elite forms part of this powerful seemingly-invisible cabal).
You see, to create you first need to destroy. Order out of Chaos, Baxxter, you know that. And to destroy you need destablisation, wars and enemies. So instead of beautiful fractals, we get conflict, social dysfunction, de-industrialisation, fiat money, a ‘debt crisis’ (more of a usury crisis)… all leading towards the formation of political blocs and more centralised power and control.
All we need now is another enemy, such as an Islamic alliance to replace the ‘terr’rsts’ of the ‘War on Terror’ that had itself replaced the Cold War… Only through horrific destabilisation can they push through their ‘world government’ agenda, ostensibly to vanquish conflict forever.
We’re still in the initial stages of the Orwellian society and it will take some time before we can enjoy Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’, where everyone is communistichesko happily doing their duty in compliance with the established order.
Hopefully, they’ll be exposed before it’s too late…
But I digress… shouldn’t we be talking about why Joseph remained mum when Eddie stuck a medal on Gaddafi’s chest for his Lockerbie and Berlin heroics?
Ghamilt l-iskoperta tas-seklu, Kev?
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article496773.ece
Serrahtli mohhi, bandido. Mela bhall-Pupa dan, irriformat u lest ghall-genna.
Go back to sleep, people, it was a folsalarm.
Islamists and Al-Qaeda got the carpet pulled from under their feet with the commencement of the Arab Spring Revolution.
After 42 years of enslavemnent under KMB’s and Dom’s friend Gheddafi, Libyans would be pretty dumb to let in an Islamic Fundamentalist government as did the Iranians way back in the early eighties when they let the Ayatollahs hijack their revolution against the Shah.
Kev, go read some history , Yugoslavia WW2 , the allegiances were sort of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ . Finland was at at war with Russia ( the Russians invaded ) , Germans and Finns fought against the Russians then with a German reversal in fortune the Finns dropped their allies like a ton of bricks . The Italian switch in sides is also well documented . Human nature is quite predictable, Kev .
Kev has finished cleaning out his chincilla’s cage, and has got nothing better left to do.
Hadn’t you better “translate” your last quote into Facebookese?
Please help – why is it that The Times of Malta censor all my references to Little Joe and The Dinosaurs?
(a) No sense of humour?
(b) Saving it for just before the election?
(c) Fear?
PS Does anyone think that Little Joe and The Dinosaurs could master Sesame Streets ‘Alphabet Song’?
I have taken the liberty of copying this from a Facebook wall, because it is, after all, in the public domain:
“Jonathan Beacom
I think Gonzi has done a great job under the circumstances, although he made a few minor PR blunders. ON THE PLUS SIDE – 1) Lowest unemployment figures in the WHOLE of Europe – 2) The highest foreign investment ( € 785 Million) in 2010 and first 6 months of 2011 are already BETTER! – 3) High tourism arrivals ……the list of PLUSES is ENDLESS even though the rest of the world is crumbling! – The opposition couldn’t run a piss-up in a brewery …..let alone run the country. It is sad that they will probably be elected in the next elections because the spoilt and ‘imfisdin’ Maltese are bored with Gonzi and only see as far as the tip of their noses!…..what a strange land we live in !”
Jonathon, good to see you here. Yes, we live in a strange, but loveable land, if the nasties are kept out. Takes about two thousand ‘thinkers’. My bet is on the new, young voters
No way can they relate to a bunch of 60 plus year old retarded dinosaurs and a clueless thirty whatever year old brainless, fat dwarf.
New young voters? When PN keeps treating them like gullible idiots? That “zaghzagh” tag has messed up their thinking.
News Flash! ‘New Mintoff memoir reveals he’s going to live full satisfied life without even feeling remorse and there’s nothing we can do about it.’ (paraphrased from ‘The Onion’.)
Saviour Balzan on Jeffrey Pulicino Orlando on One TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=zFUzviB9qPY
I think it will take some time for Labour to understand the implications of what just happened.
Mainly because of an irrational belief in the efficiency of ideology to settle existence. I always get the impression that this party has to feel galvanized into countering reality.
It’s as if their raison d’etre is to antagonise anything established outside their scope. Fact is, in their case, that this has created an inertia which hinders mental innovation.
Maybe because when one looks closely, the higher echelons are monopolised by the individuals capable of enforcing the more extreme views. A moderate, it seems, is frowned upon and put aside.
Such views, usually expressed in absolute terms, kill any possibility of evolution, distorting any balance.
And yet they insist, promising themselves an Abraxia, missing the fact that the rest of the country has been working at it all the time.
I suspect they do this to postpone their responsibility to the state, somehow admitting they’re not ready yet.
I’m not really surprised at such paradox, given that they’ve resigned themselves to a claustrophobic idea of this place.
They fear being diluted, the physical size of the island a constant factor in their reasoning.
They prefer falling back to the comfort of a collective memory, to the days when one man, elevated to diety, was in charge.
When the new leader chose to rehabilitate Mintoff however, he underestimated the intensity of that man’s aura.
Even worse, he let himself into a trap, forgetting that the hardliners, who are now by his side, had to endure the abuse, weaned on a diet of arrogance, delusional posturing and envy.
They’re stuck.
The Maltese face a new prospect, that of being able to go back, discover their identity and learn something about themselves. And that includes the weaknesses causing the mistakes
I couldn’t agree more with you, Daphne.
Labour has to choose, either with the Maltese, or with the ones who chose Gaddafi.
Daphne this column rocks. Someone once said “the unexamined life is not worth living”. I totally agree.that reflection lies at the heart of Ignatian Spirituality which encourages the individual to pray by analysing one’s life in silence in the light of the gospel.
Indeed, one may be a non-believer but reflecting on one’s life, even to simply take stock of the situation, is crucial to emotional and psychological well -being.
But you once wrote on another issue which, in my view, fits in with this very well: that of emotional intelligence and how important this is for success in one’s personal life. The PL lacks this in an abysmal way.
But if you don’t reflect you cannot have emotional intelligence because, I find, that EI is the fruit of emotional intelligence.
Had the Labour Party had any, it wouldn’t brush away this Gaddafi business as though it were merely a speck of dust on the book of history and Joseph Muscat wouldn’t have said that the 70s and 80s were Golden Years.
So with the EQ of a pea and the capacity for introspection and analysis of a bean, I cannot expect the PL to come up with deep and edifying reflections.
Anyway, a great column indeed.