After Thirty Years of Hassle
Op-Ed
After thirty long years of search and exertion, Georgia has undoubtedly learnt something. However, the country is still living in a position of unmitigated political exaltation, on the one hand, and in the economic quiescence, on the other.
It all started a little before the clamorous and riotous soviet demise, with the entire nation out in the streets, and continues well into the 21st century – the epoch of outstanding technological progress and scientific breakthroughs.
Generations are coming and going and we are still there – in a boisterous consideration and reconsideration of political values that, ideally, should serve the nation to the best of its advantage: freedom vs. servitude, independence vs. colonialism, democracy vs. dictatorship, capitalism vs. socialism, globalization vs. individualism, western vs. eastern, national vs. international, patriotic vs. cosmopolitan, traditional vs. current, etc.
The zealously obsessive discussion of those controversial issues still persist. This might not be the worst thing in the world, but solely a debate – and interminable at that – will not solve our problems. The endless disputes do not resolve but only make trouble, never turning words into deeds.
We are a fiery people with a mouthful of angry passionate words and a huge zest for public speaking, but we cannot always afford to be as quick-tempered and loquacious as we often are. We explode socially and politically in seconds, and then, it takes us years to calm down to embark again on our sustainable development and stable way of life.
Saying this, I am hurting terribly because I am not the enemy of Georgia but am dedicated to my country. We all know that Georgia is weighed down with an annoying mixture of problems and a killing amount of issues that have been hanging over our heads for decades. But, those problems do not disappear or, at least, decrease in number. Quite the opposite, they are growing in number as we live.
As the saying would have it, the arguments come on horseback to Georgia but go away on foot, those maladies not even being curbed by anyone who possesses and wants to use a cure. Understandably, nobody has a panacea to prescribe and save the day for us, but there is a more than five-thousand-year-old recorded history of human experience which might be harboring the remedy for us to get back the country and a good life in it, into the bargain.
Inviting the utmost rationalism at this time, based on thorough historical analyses might help as it seems, coming up with recommendations on what is right and what is wrong to do. For instance, would it be rational or irrational to:
a) utterly give up on Russia and learn how to live without the old friend and the current enemy
b) succumb to the Empire in a déjà vu style and relax in Mother-Russia’s lap, although ridden with holes and thoroughly patched
c) stay in the current impartiality with her, nonchalantly keeping up the losing game in hope that she changes the stance or collapses in the end
d) decidedly and irreversibly embrace the West, dreaming of NATO and EU membership so that we have a patron who would fight for us against incensed Russia if we are faced once again with her military power in the image of slowly but confidently advancing tanks with a deafening clatter on our highways built by the world bank
e) declare nonaligned status, firmly pursuing our own way of survival and further development, for the world to hear that neither Russia nor America are the decision-makers any longer in this beautiful and truly independent land
f) forget about everything and remain calm, cheerful and content, letting happen whatever is in store for us until our naturally accelerated demographic termination as a finale of our millennia-old past.
Out of these five options, presumably, only one is possible to stick to if the choice is ever made. Two at a time is utterly excluded! Well, the option is rich enough, but the question now is if we are capable of making the best possible choice upon that option. Probably, not in the talking mood and mode – under open skies – instead of setting down some cogent plans, and rules thereof!
By Nugzar B. Ruhadze
Photo Source - Georgia About