I will never forget how I felt on my way back to Malta, almost 10 years ago. I had been in Asia (China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) for nine straight months and I missed my country, family, and friends in a way I never believed possible. I was 23 years old, so I don’t blame past-me.
Anyway, to move on… the experience touched me in many ways, both positive and negative. But what is relevant for today’s topic is that following my return I started to realise that despite its minuscule size (relatively speaking) and all the disadvantages this brings to a country, Malta is a paradise in the Mediterranean. After nine months in Asia, the Maltese economy seemed far from bad, our culture was beyond rich, and as a Maltese citizen I became more proud – almost patriotic.
And that lasted for quite a good number of years…
But as they say, nothing lasts forever and a lot of things changed from 10 years ago. Social media, for instance, became an integral part of our every-day lives. Nothing wrong with it, generally speaking. Save for the terrible ranting and trolling you see nowadays regarding every topic and piece of event that hits the news. And this isn’t one of those rants. This is, on the other hand, a plea – and a serious one at that!
I usually write here only out of pleasure and with barely any care for whoever is reading – I stopped writing for viewership and followers a couple of months ago. But this time, no. This time I write in the desperate hope to touch as many hearts out there as is humanly possible… if it is humanly possible. Because recent posts by the Maltese regarding illegal refugees and immigrants is terrifyingly scary, to say the least. Now I’m used to horror, but the online comments I’ve read lately are seriously frightening the shit out of me!
I never imagined any Maltese – or any human whatsoever – could show so much hatred. I mean, I understand that a person might kill or hate out of jealousy or lost love. Or revenge, too. Revenge I almost justify (so to speak). But what have these people ever done to us? They’re escaping their countries yes, but surely not out of their own choice. They are seeking shelter and refuge in our country and many others. Please, tell me how is that offending us or hurting us? And don’t tell me that our country cannot sustain them and that we’re small and that load of crap! It’s true, and in no way am I denying the government of Malta – and every country – has a burden to share, besides a serious responsibility and several hard decisions to make in the near future. Still, that gives me, you and nobody the right or justification to post such horrific comments full of hatred, anger and violence as the type you see posted online.
Because as far as I know, none of us paid a price to get born in Malta with a roof on our heads. None of us actually did anything to earn a place in a first-world country without third-world country problems. So why the hatred? Why the violence? This isn’t the Malta and Maltese I landed back onto 10 years ago isn’t this. This is pure ignorance, at best.
Yes, ignorance which leaves me heart-broken and hardly as proud to be Maltese as I was in the last 10 years. How, I wonder, have we fallen to such a base and deep level of evil? Do you think that just by typing your lousy comments from behind the screen that you can post anything you like? Be careful, words have terrible power and your ignorant comments, full of hatred and evil, are stronger than an army of 10,000 men. Because you can kill 10,000 men with 20,000. But no army can kill an idea.
No army can kill hatred. No army can conquer ignorance.
So that is my plea: how have the Maltese allowed themselves to dive into the shit-hole of ignorance and hatred? So much that I hardly believe we can dive any deeper… and that it may be too late to come out of it now, even while I write this.
This isn’t the Malta I knew. This isn’t the Malta I was so proud of. This isn’t the Malta I loved.
This is ignorance, and we need to do anything in our power to stop it before it spreads to far and wide it covers the country and the whole world in shit.
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