From the vault, four years ago to the day, still relevant, now more than ever, with a few more countries and candidates thrown in the mix for not-so-good measure . . .
To everyone tormented by the self-defeating idiocies of our system: Dare I say that self-determination is like adulthood? One cannot claim it until one has reached a certain level of maturity. One cannot be successfully sovereign before coming of age.
There, I said it. Now you know why banana republics struggle with issues of failure, day in, day out. Like kids who left home at the age of five to lead an adult life, they falter, and will keep on faltering until someone takes them under their wings and teaches them the ropes. Or until they reach maturity.
Those of you who disagree with this statement can let your five-year old children roam the streets unsupervised. See how that works out for them.
Oh, by the way, If you think children and countries are not the same, you’re brainwashed. Or naive. Perhaps you’re still children yourselves, at least regarding the bigger picture. You’re probably unaware of the fact that while freedom is a right, functionality and success are privileges, products of deliberate effort. They take time to arrive, if that, and they come only if one heeds history’s lessons, investing time and effort in setting up something functional, something able to respond to the world’s tests.
And there we have it! The incontrovertible conclusion that some countries need parenting until they figure things out. Break off and venture out on their own too soon and they end up as Banana Republics, if not playgrounds for mad tyrants.
Having said that, be careful of the flip side. Stay under the wing of guardians for too long and a different type of damage begins to show. Over-parenting can be a foul drag.
But that’s another story.
From your deliciously vexing Spin Doctor,
Eyes open, mind sharp.