The beginning of a New Year fills us with a spirit of hope for the future. It is an opportunity for us to consider the power of solidarity in nurturing stronger, more resilient communities and a more prosperous Maltese society. I believe that respect is the golden thread which binds together our efforts to build a sustainable peace and meaningful wellbeing.
The strength of respect, and what we can achieve when we work together for the common good, was so visible in the latest edition of l-Istrina. It was a proud moment of connection. The people of this nation joined forces to rise above social and political boundaries, and differences of culture or creed, in service to others.
We all spoke with one voice, to promote and put into action our commitment to the principles of solidarity, peace, and wellbeing. Let us continue to make these principles an everyday occurrence.
Respect is intrinsically intertwined with the values of solidarity, peace, and wellbeing. Respect is the practical approach to acknowledge the intrinsic dignity of each and every person.
Where respect is lacking, whether in our homes, our schools, our communities, our media, or our Parliament, we run the risk of damaging the very backbone of our democracy. Indeed, equity and justice can only be built on a fundamental reciprocity of respect.
To be respectful means treating others with the consideration and concern we expect for ourselves.
It means listening to people and truly hearing them, treating them with the dignity that is their due. It is the opposite of the rhetoric of exclusion that has become all too pervasive, both in our national discourse and around the world.
The absence of respect creates a vacuum in society, leading to situations where hostility causes divisions and tensions in our communities.
The absence of respect reproduces cycles of inequality, which exclude individuals from leading productive and meaningful lives.
The absence of respect leaves an emptiness at the heart of society, which can only be filled by our commitment to social solidarity and the ethics of wellbeing.
It is respect that promotes dialogue, protects fundamental human rights, and ensures a dignified life free from precarity and exclusion.
Just as l-Istrina was a shining example of how we can build strong relationships and put them into action for the benefit of society, so too must all our work be motivated by a similar commitment to solidarity. Our relationships with one another cannot be considered sustainable if they are not capable of meeting our emotional, social, economic, and material needs.
Relationships which are built without the value of respect are never healthy and rarely last long. If we refuse to give one another this essential gift, then we become dangerously isolated. We must all be active participants in society and welcomed as respected contributors in the life of our nation.
Furthermore, if we seek to justify the exclusion of some individuals or groups from our circle of care, for whatever reason, then we have failed to act in a humane and dignified manner. Such a course of action has detrimental effects not just on ourselves and our families, but also on the wellbeing of our entire society.
It is only by taking steps to practise respect in our daily lives that we can begin to form trust with those who we might consider outside our usual groups or communities. The artificial walls created by our social, political, or economic circumstances can never be stronger than the bridges we need to build, to connect us together in mutual dignity.
When we recognise the importance of respect, we can take on roles of leadership ourselves within our families, our places of work and our communities, as the builders and the sustainers of peace.
When we give or show respect, we plant a seed that will, in time, take root among all those with whom we come into contact.
Therefore, let us make this New Year a time to avoid and to reject insulting or demeaning behaviour. Let us refuse to be complicit in a mentality which disparages others because of their way of life, their identities, their socio-economic circumstances, their cultures or political beliefs.
We cannot be guided by arrogance or fear. Rather than letting our judgement be clouded by suspicion, we must strive to understand. In this way, we shall discover new opportunities to build and heal our relationships with one another.
Let us learn how to separate people from points of contention. Where there is an issue or a disagreement, we must tackle the problem at hand and not resort to personal insults. We must strive to achieve the peaceful resolution of our differences, mindful of our responsibility to maintain the greater good.
The presence of respect makes it possible for us to enter into meaningful relationships which are rooted in solidarity, nourished by a sense of active participation and effective inclusion.
Let our nation's New Year's resolution be a renewal of our commitment to promote unity and goodwill among the people of Malta and Gozo.
I firmly believe that respect is the essential guide on our journey, as a nation, to continue promoting and protecting the good of our society. Let peace and wellbeing be the legacy that defines us among nations, and may this be the inheritance we secure for the lasting benefit of all of us, in particular, our children.
Let us respect one another.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2hGbpXk
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