I should be Slovak

I learned something very important last weekend: I should be a Slovak. If I cannot, I should definitely aspire to be. I learned it from an authoritative source, a Slovak. Slovaks, you see, are the prettiest, strongest and smartest people in the world. They don’t take crap from nobody. Wherever they go, they succeed. This Slovak loves Canada because – as he said – ‘Canadians are stupid’. It’s easy to get rich here. It’s a lot more difficult when you are surrounded by equally smart, strong and pretty people. It does not matter whether he is right or wrong, what matters is that he knows who he is. He knows his place in this world. He knows his own worth and not afraid to proclaim it. There is a very thin line between self-confidence and arrogance. Most people consider arrogance a character flaw while at the same time they cannot resist its attraction. Arrogance is just the shame-free expression of self-confidence. Cultural self-confidence isn’t that much different. Slovakia is a new country. The first time Slovaks were truly masters of their own destiny was in the wake of the 1993 velvet divorce. (The Slovak Republic of 1939-1945 was only nominally independent). Being an old nation but a young country explains their attitude quite a bit. Not only their self-confidence and pride, but their concern for the fragility of their situation. They can hardly manage their existing minorities, the Hungarians and the Gypsies, the last thing they need is another unmanageable minority, especially not one that is just as self-confident as they are. Because Muslims also know who they are and what they want and becoming Slovak Christians is not it. The Slovaks understand this which is why they are resisting so vehemently the obnoxious push of the European Union to sign their collective suicide pact. The Slovaks know who they are. They understand what it means to be a minority but by now they also understand what it means handling minorities. They know how precarious culture is and how much it needs protection. Like my friend, the Slovaks are proud and they don’t take crap from anybody. In this respect, we should all be Slovaks. Proud and protective of the values of our culture.