Time.news – Getting vaccinated is a “duty”, not in the name of an abstract principle, but because the vaccine remains the “most effective tool” to fight the pandemic and help the most fragile and the weakest. Sergio Mattarella opens the 42nd edition of the Rimini Meeting and reiterates his invitation to Italians to participate in the vaccination campaign to defeat the virus and return to normal.
“The pandemic has shown us how much responsibility is needed – said the Head of State, whose speech was applauded several times – we need the courage of responsibility. In the work of doctors and health personnel, in the work of those who perform duties in the commitment of those who work in the economic fabric. In the action of governments and international organizations. But also – he emphasizes – in the behavior of each of us: responsibility begins with us. Vaccinating oneself – among many examples – is a duty not in obedience to an abstract principle, but because it arises from the concrete reality that demonstrates that the vaccine is the most effective tool we have to defend ourselves and to protect the weakest and most exposed to serious dangers “.
The President of the Republic, even without explicitly mentioning Afghanistan, dedicates a passage to the developments of the question, above all looking at the responsibilities of welcome and solidarity of Europe in the face of what promises to be a possible humanitarian catastrophe. “There is an I, a you and a us also for Europe and for its responsibilities, against all narrow-mindedness, against mortifying dullness mixed with hypocrisy – which are also manifested in these days – which are the result of anti-historical entrenchments and, actually, self-harm, “he says.
Mattarella also dedicates a reflection to the globalized society, to the opportunities but also to the risks of an ever faster, integrated and interconnected system: “There are many aspects that global society offers. Alongside extraordinary opportunities, increased by the development of techno-sciences, there are also new risks of homologation, exclusion, loss, distrust “, he says. “Even of an ego that cancels itself out in the homologation of the improper use of that great positive resource offered by the web”. “Freedom and democracy require, to strengthen, a lively background of participation, autonomy of social organization, widespread knowledge in order to feed a culture rich in creativity, a plot of cohesion, respectful of mutual differences”, added Mattarella.
As for the pandemic, Mattarella reiterates his call for vaccination and adds that the explosion of Covid has made us discover “more fragile than we thought. We understood more clearly that we need the support of others”. “We have experienced pain, fear, loneliness – he added – but in the community we have found precious resources, decisive to ensure that our hopes, our aspirations were not uprooted and could still find confirmation and development”. The battle against the virus is not won, the Head of State repeats, but trust is needed: “we win together, we lose together. The virus crisis confirms this. We will still have to fight the pandemic. But our responsibility is to imagine tomorrow. Let’s hear it. that the desire to restart is growing: the engine is the confidence that we will be able to improve ourselves, that we will be able to lead our country forward “.
“We can do it – concludes the President of the Republic – it also depends on us. Everyone is – and must feel – challenged: courage depends on each person’s ability to be himself or herself responsibly. After all, this is the condition of exercising freedom” .
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