Time.news – It’s okay to criticize, but we must also recognize the progress made and have the courage to change. Sergio Mattarella recalls the 75 years of the Republic with some young people and answers their questions about the past but above all about the future. And therefore he points out that since the end of the Second World War there have been no more wars, but that peace must be built day by day and that this task is easier thanks to Europe, it urges everyone to make a commitment to improve living conditions. in our country and admits that there is still a long way to go on gender equality.
The occasion is participation in a Rai Gulp broadcast, with three young people who express their questions and doubts. Tancredi, 10, asks “how to hope for a better tomorrow, more just, when they tell us that everything is getting worse and leaving things as they are would be a success”. “Whoever says so is wrong” affirms the President of the Republic. “These are usually the thoughts of some people who, as they get older, think that everything is wrong, everything looks different from their times. One must never stop trusting – and making a commitment – for a better future”. “Talking only about the things that are wrong is a bit of a habit” explains Mattarella, for whom “we need to talk about them, to improve, change, certainly also to criticize what is wrong. But, above all, we must participate. That is, to be protagonists of events, of change. It would be wrong – also – to ignore, or underestimate, the many advances we have made in the life of the Republic, from the conditions of the 1940s to those of today “.
The quote from Jfk
The President quotes the famous phrase of US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who in 1961 said: “Don’t ask yourself what your country can do for you. Ask yourself, what can you do for your country.” So, we ask the institutions to take care of us, but “it is also good to remember that the institutions, after all, we are ourselves; and that reflect what we have been able to do, for the common good “.” It is absolutely right that each one asks that the institutions take care of his condition, but it is also good to remember that the institutions, after all, we are ourselves; and that reflect what – we – have been able to do, for the common good “explains Mattarella.
Among the worries of the children there is the risk of conflicts. “Peace is not given once and for all. It must be built, and ensured, every day, in concrete behavior” points out the Head of State. To Francis’ fears about the possible return of wars after so many years of peace, the Head of State replies reassuringly, “but it is a responsibility that concerns each of us” he explains.
Gender equality
Finally, Eleven-year-old Elena asks if her generation will finally be able to see gender equality achieved. “Equal rights, between women and men, in the Italian laws, is full; and it has been achieved for many years, on the basis of the Constitution. It is not yet the case, however, due to its concrete realization” admits Mattarella who notes as for real gender equality “there is still a long way to go”. “From 1948 to today, many steps forward have been made over the years” says the President of the Republic. “We think of the entry, of women, into the Judiciary, the Armed Forces, the Police Corps. But to achieve effective equality, we must remove those obstacles, which still make it difficult for women to work, reach the most important positions, participate , in equal measure, to the life of institutions; and so on “. “To this end, Elena, other interventions are needed – concludes the Head of State -. For example, adequate tools for reconciling work and family life. There is still a long way to go”.
.