Sancho Panza Chronicles
By Don Quixote
Are we talking about windmills or giants? Who’s the real Knight and who’s the imposter?
Cyprus is increasingly turning into a personification of Sancho Panza, the kind, loyal, but more often than not, puzzled squire to the first dystopian hero of literature, Cervantes‘ Don Quixote, a 17th century ingenious machinery of social critique.
If you feel you’re being led into directions not adequately explained, dropped half way or bashed into goals with the speed of sound, you’re on the right beach, start building your castles.
To prevent any skin loss or contortions by call to responsibility, it’s been a general trend over the past few decades. Our Don Quixote of the time rushes into his own windmills or giants (depending on how realistic the target is) and we’re left wondering half way whether this is actually working or if this charge is leading us to certain death.
The only consolation is the fact that when it comes to Cyprus, the charge is more often than not slightly abandoned along this uncertain path, with its own consequences, nevertheless at least not dropping into the massive cliff of failure.
Cutting the long charge short, everyone has good intentions. Besides if you carry the metaphor through, Don Quixote was actually trying in his own warped personification of social satire, to get the age of chivalry back on track.
In danger of becoming Don Quixotic ourselves with disjointed convoluted scripts, the gist is simple enough. Are we to remain Sancho Panza, wise, loyal but non-interventionist to anything thrown at us?
Let’s begin by speaking out, at every level. Getting the knights in charge to listen and adjust their bearings, to the best of our ability. Walking by as our ‘heroes’ march into a horizon of windmills, is no longer an option. Yes, yes, I know we’re not used to it. But we can construct our own narrative.
This column is not gonna be long most of the time, so here’s the thing. Be the Sancho Panza that Cervantes might have wanted. Don’t get me wrong. We’re not some bearers of ill will nor absolutely everything’s going wrong. Nihilism dies right now.
But before the chase, let’s make sure we ask the right questions. Windmills are part of the traditional, historical water producing system of this country. Just don’t charge at them. They’re not going anywhere.