Main direction of contemporary man’s thought and the most optimal model of modern human behavior would probably be compatible with our shared and mutual happiness in a small place like our good old earth, but we do not exactly know what that shared and mutual happiness could mean in actuality. By the most educated presumption, human happiness might have more components and prerequisites than we can possibly imagine, but some of those ingredients are clearly salient – good health, freedom, independence, strong chance of survival, elevated standard of living, peace, longevity, rich and happy household, the self-expression opportunity, talent put into practice, ability to travel and see the world, power of positive influence on the surrounding reality, etc. How about membership of a nation in NATO and the European Union? Could that serve as a reason for human happiness of an average national?
Hard to answer, isn’t it? Would membership in those famous international organizations make citizens of Georgia feel happier than they do now? The question seems to be incongruent, doesn’t it? OK, let’s theorize a little, dancing around the answer as carefully as we can. Formal membership in various internationally recognized manmade groups and institutions should definitely help nations to better survive – this is what they were created for. But how close, how realistic, how tangible and how functional their help might be to a nation in practice? Let us refrain for a second from qualifying this question as irrelevant. I know that the modern world could hardly be imagined without those international bodies, but I am still giving preference to indigenous powers of thought and action, to a local talent, to native values, to original efforts. Membership in international bodies is an open window into the world, but it still should be a something of subsidiary value. The quality of life, as a prerequisite for human happiness should not be expected as a lucky consequence of going hat-in-hand around the Globe but only by means of wise and rational usage of national resources, certainly based on the best international experience. As I said, to feel content, we as a nation need to embrace all the above-mentioned components of up-to-date human happiness. You cannot behave otherwise in a Civilized, cultured and educated world although my belief in utilizing the local natural and human potential remains first and utmost as a preferred position in ways of survival. Anything international, including membership in NATO and EU, is welcome as long as they are suggesting proven values and reasonable methodology of improvement of quality of life in Georgia, but for me personally, nothing could be more refined, enlightened and sophisticated than speaking and writing my beloved Georgian language, reading Rustaveli and Tabidze in the original, sipping on the gorgeous Georgian wine, stylishly accompanied by intelligent, sincere and elegant toasts and urbane discourse on various walks of life, imbibing the magic of polyphony of Georgian folk songs, watching the fiery Georgian dances, feeling the aroma of the spring and taking in the mellow air of the fall as it happens only here, entertaining friendly small talks in our special Georgian fashion and walking barefoot on the grass of a totally different green. Hey Thomas my brother, you the Friedman guy, isn’t that small Olive Tree sweeter than the Lexus of any magnitude? Don’t we all miss the smell of our roots? I surely appreciate NATO and EU and UN into the bargain, but for happiness I need something totally different, maybe less advanced, maybe less progressive, maybe a little funny, but more open-minded, more humane, more polished and definitely more heart-felt. How can we doubt this!