Purely American Values… and Us

Op-Ed

Most of the values that Americans want to consider as their own are universally recognized human ideals, shared by most nations, including Georgia. So, it might be fun to compare our two cultures. After all, we are Strategic Partners, aren’t we? Well, this sounds a little like an overstatement, but it is a loveable overstatement, especially at the moment when we have so much ‘America’ in Georgia.

Let us start with HONESTY, INTEGRITY and TRUTHFULNESS – they still matter in America as valuable human features and are appreciated in Georgia, too, but with a veneer of dubiousness and suspicion to it. How about LIBERTY? This purely fundamental American value is elevated to the rank of national ideal in Georgia in conjunction with INDEPENDENCE, exactly as it is in America. EQUALITY – this constitutional value should be working in America, but in Georgia, it still needs to be nursed. SELF-GOVERNMENT – this is one of the pillars of the American political establishment, but here in Georgia, it is not always honored. OBJECTIVITY characterizes the American to a certain extent, but for us Georgians, subjectivity is more valued. Americans appreciate SERIOUSNESS but Georgians seem to be more susceptible to levity. RIGHTEOUSNESS is truly what the American spiritual existence is defined by; we used to be the same way historically, but this feature of our national character is gradually fading away. FAIRNESS has become a problem in our times in general, but Americans are still trying to maintain this value; in Georgia, it triumphs only sporadically. ACCURACY and SELF-DISCIPLINE – these values still characterize the American everyday life, but in Georgia, forget it! COMPASSION – in this, we are no worse, if not a little better, than Americans. MODESTY and HUMILITY – in America, it is very trendy to wax modest anywhere and anytime, but in Georgia, modesty and humility do not help us to look attractive and dignified. REASON is one of the foremost features of the American character, but for a regular Georgian, it is a burden – rather, emotion is what makes us feel more complete. When it comes to CHARITY, America can truly be proud – it really is a classic country of charity, but Georgia is only now learning how to be a charitable society. PERSEVERENCE, PROFESSIONALISM and CONCENTRATION characterize Americans, but I cannot call my fellow Georgians terribly perseverant and concentrated professionals as laziness and superficiality are stuck in our bones, somehow. Americans can be counted on for their RELIABILITY and ACOUNTABILITY, something which I cannot ascribe to most of my countrymen. America is a country of OPPORTUNITY, but Georgia has to go another mile until it becomes one. FORGIVENESS, LOYALTY, GOODWILL, DEVOTION and DEDICATION are strikingly American moral values, taking root in its Christian past, whereas in Georgia, of even older Christian tradition, a sense of vengeance, reckoning, retaliation, retribution and punishment is more prevalent. Americans are famed for their SMILE worldwide, it is valued as their best stock in trade; Georgians are a smiling nation, too, but smiling at a stranger is still taken here as a strange gesture. AQUISITIVENESS and MATERIALISM is one of the best descriptions of the American national character, and this is exactly where the Georgians never lag behind. Proclivity for CHANGE is also known as one of the American values; we like change just as much, especially in our political life. PERSONAL CONTROL OVER THE ENVIRONMENT is what Americans have in their blood while in Georgia this feature of human character is hardly effective as yet. TIME AND ITS CONTROL is the feature which runs life in America and in the West in general, but here in Georgia, time has not yet become something of a great value. RELIGIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALISM, FAITH, TRADITION and IDEALISM are the most common values that unite America and Georgia – we are both very much into these. OPENNESS is also characteristic for both nations. A sense of COMPETITION has made America, but Georgia is still awaiting its rebirth in such environment. SELF-HELP? Yes, Americans have acquired this valuable feature of character through the frontier’s hardships; in Georgia, self-pity is trendier. Americans have high-level WORK ORIENTATION, ACTION, INITIATIVE and EFFICIENCY; we, conversely, enjoy leisure, inertness and passivity, acquired in the years of socialist labor. And finally, PRIVACY! Americans need it as they do air and water. In Georgia, stop dreaming about privacy right now.

This is how much alike and different we are!

Nugzar B. Ruhadze