The Pride of the Welsh

A few hours ago, I was in the Millenium Stadium, part of the record crowd of 76,000 who witnessed Wales win the Six Nations Grand Slam against France. If I were to use one word to sum up the atmosphere, I would say, it was heartwarming, absolutely heartwarming. The architecture of the building, coupled with the closed roof due to rain may have played a part in retaining the voices, but the unified singing within the stadium was quite phenomenal. I have heard the songs sang during National Day in Singapore, and they are songs that move as well. But the experience today, was a souful one. The Welsh National Anthem itself, 'Land of My Fathers' sung in Welsh, carries a very emotive and emotional tune which underlies an almost resigned but determined spirit to protect the Welsh language, culture and land. From young to old, the people were on their feet, tugging at each other, singing with their deepest and loudest voices from their gut. And when the final whistle went, the crowd, all on their feet appluaded and cheered as the all-too-familiar tune of 'We Are The Champions' surrounded the stadium.

I was in the casino a few hours later recouping the price of my ticket, and was speaking to one of the croupiers. He told me, 'Its so good for the country, and for the people.' And I do not think I am reading too much into that when I say that the win definitely was more than just a sporting achievement to this country where I have spent the majority of my past 2 years in. The win was a symbol of a victory of culture and spirit in today's economically-driven world. Once upon a time, the battle was a territorial one against the English, today, it is an increasingly economic one as the rural and industrial Welsh markets and heartlands desperately adapt in a bid to be competitive against the world. But if anything, Wales has demonstrated that culture is bigger than both politics, economics and reputation. A nation that doesnt have political soverignity, a region that is economically one of the most backwards in the UK, a country seen as a romantic joke trying to rekindle a modern relevance for its language and identity. Staring into the face of international irrelevance, political obscurity and economic doldrums, the laid-back Welsh character responds not by simply trying to achive all that, but to protect what it sees as most important, its soul, its culture. In a world where more and more seperatist attempts are violent, where entire cities and villages are torn down and re-structured, Wales perhaps, provides a beacon of hope, that the culture that flows in the soul of people, needs no external institutional or material appearance, if what it is, truly flows internally in the rivers of blood and the beat of the heart.

A true sense of identity, does not lie simply on the quicksand of economic success or the structure of a constitution. It lies on the recognition of a history overcome, a heritage travelled, a presence larger than the transient individual or a temporary time. To the common person, a sense of identity cant make him full or give him shelter, but it perhaps provides worth, meaning and purpose to his life. But perhaps, to the intellectuals in the ivory towers who shape their own discourses of human progress as they seek to maximize the intellectual capacity they have been blessed with, all Man can be and should be like them, since they have discovered what all human beings innately desire. Ah, The beauty of the instrumental equality they preach, in that all individuals are equal in their intellectual capabilities and desires, and only need to be enlightened like themselves! I guess I am not enlightened, I can only hold on to my belief in the intrinsic equality in all human beings, in the differences in ability and capability that are held together only in our common existence. And so, I continue on my never-ending trek of trying to understand other people.

To end of, I will quote from Eric Fromm. I do not normally like to quote others here, but this really sums up what I feel in the most simple and direct way, " Emotional well-being cannot be defined in terms of the adjustment of the individual to his society, but on the contrary... must be defined in terms of the adjustment of society to the needs of man'."