Fl-okkażjoni tal-75 sena mill-assassinju ta’ Mahatma Gandhi, l-għalliem u awtur Robert Aloisio ħareġ id-disa’ ktieb tiegħu li jġib l-isem “Għoxrin Ġgant tas-Seklu Għoxrin”.
Il-filosfu Skoċċiż Thomas Carlyle kien qal li “ebda bniedem kbir ma għex għalxejn… l-istorja tad-dinja mhi xejn ħlief il-bijografija ta’ nies kbar”. Huwa propju għalhekk li permezz ta’ dan il-ktieb Aloisio xtaq iwassal lill-qarrejja tiegħu ġabra ta’ għoxrin personaġġ tas-seklu għoxrin.
Aloisio għażel li jikteb dwar Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Einstein, Helen Keller, Giuseppe Moscati, Franklin Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, Giorgio La Pira, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Madre Tereża, Thomas Merton, Oscar Romero, Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, Anne Frank, Mikhail Gorbachev, Giovanni Falcone, Muhammad Alì u Lech Walesa. Tassew ġganti ta’ żmienna.
Fid-daħla għall-ktieb tiegħu, Aloisio jgħid li “l-għażla tal-personaġġi hija waħda personali u suġġettiva. Lanqas ma hija neċessarjament l-għażla tal-ikbar għoxrin personaġġ tas-seklu l-ieħor, għalkemm ħafna mill-ismijiet igawdu apprezzament internazzjonali kważi unanimu. Huma għoxrin personaġġ li jien personalment nammira għax b’li qalu u fuq kollox b’li għamlu għad għandhom ħafna x’jgħidulna ukoll illum il-ġurnata.”
X’jagħmel bniedem kbir? U x’hemm komuni bejn dawn l-għoxrin ġgant tas-seklu għoxrin? Minkejja d-differenzi ġeografiċi u kulturali li kien hemm bejniethom, dawn l-għoxrin ġgant kienu lkoll, fi kliem l-awtur “persuni mimlija b’enerġija, b’entużjażmu u b’ħerqa biex jagħmlu dinja aħjar, biex jagħtu kontribut pożittiv lill-ħajja tal-bniedem. Kienu jemmnu li setgħu jagħmlu differenza fis-soċjetà. U filfatt għamluha.”
Aloisio jgħid li dawn il-“ġganti” ma kinux nies perfetti. Kellhom id-difetti tagħhom ukoll. Kienu ġganti imperfetti. Anke dawk li wara mewthom ġew iddikjarati qaddisin. Imma l-intenzjoni ewlenija tagħhom kienet li jgħinu lill-oħrajn iktar milli biex jonfħu l-ego tagħhom u jagħmlu isem mad-dinja.
“M’iniex qaddis,” kien qal Nelson Mandela, “sakemm b’qaddis ma tifhimx midneb li jibqa’ jipprova.” Nippruvaw nagħmlu differenza għall-aħjar fil-ħajja tal-oħrajn, jissokta jgħid Mandela, għax “li jgħodd fil-ħajja mhuwiex sempliċiment li għexna, iżda d-differenza li għamilna fil-ħajja tal-oħrajn hija dik li tagħti tifsira lil ħajjitna”.
Kienu lkoll nies li ppruvaw jaraw it-tajjeb fl-oħrajn u joħorġu l-aqwa mill-persuni ta’ madwarhom. Fittxew li jgħaqqdu lin-nies u mhux jifirduhom. Bnew pontijiet u mhux ħitan. Kienu tassew ċittadini tad-dinja. Għax kif qal Martin Luther King, “irridu nitgħallmu ngħixu flimkien bħall-aħwa jew inkella nintilfu flimkien bħall-boloh”.
Bħala student, jgħid Aloisio, “jiena tgħallimt inħobb dawn il-personaġġi; bħala għalliem, għallimt bosta studenti jsiru jħobbuhom huma wkoll. Jalla dan il-ktieb iservi ta’ għodda tajba għall-għalliema biex jedukaw fil-veri valuri u gwida għaż-żgħażagħ tagħna biex jerġgħu jiskopru l-ideali sbieħ u għoljin li kellhom dawn l-għoxrin ġgant tas-seklu għoxrin”.
Aloisio diġà sar isem stabbilit fil-qasam tal-bijografiji bil-kotba tiegħu “Qatlu lill-Arċisqof” (2015) dwar San Oscar Romero, “Falcone u Borsellino” (2017), “Għaxra Żgħar Imma Kbar” (2020) dwar għaxar żgħażagħ qalbiena, u “Il-Papiet Kbar ta’ Żmienna” (2022).
Barra minn hekk, Robert Aloisio huwa awtur ta’ erba’ kotba oħra: “Sfidaw lill-Mafja” (2017), “Għall-Passiġġati” (2019), “Knisja u Mafja” (2021) u “L-Iskola St Michael” (2022); u ta’ diversi artikli, ħafna minnhom bijografiċi, f’ġurnali u rivisti lokali. Kiteb ukoll numru ta’ drammi għall-istudenti. Aloisio jieħu ħsieb numru ta’ paġni u gruppi fuq il-media soċjali ħafna minnhom b’rabta mal-kitbiet tiegħu.
Il-ktieb, xogħol ieħor sabiħ ta’ Pubblikazzjonijiet Preca, il-fergħa tas-Soċjetà tal-MUSEUM responsabbli mill-pubblikazzjonijiet tagħha, jinkiseb mil-Librerija Preca li tinsab maġenb il-Kappella ta’ San Ġorġ Preca l-Blata l-Bajda. Min isib diffikultà biex jakkwistah jista’ jċempel 2122 2626 jew jikteb lill-awtur fuq robertaloisio@gmail.com
20 Giants of the 20th Century
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi Robert Aloisio , a teacher and author, released his ninth book entitled “Għoxrin Ġgant tas-Seklu Għoxrin” (Twenty Giants of the Twentieth Century).
The Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle once said that “no great man has lived in vain… the history of the world is nothing but the biography of great men”. It is precisely for this reason that through this book Aloisio wanted to convey to his readers a collection of twenty characters of the twentieth century.
Aloisio chose to write about Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Einstein, Helen Keller, Giuseppe Moscati, Franklin Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, Giorgio La Pira, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, Oscar Romero, Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, Anne Frank, Mikhail Gorbachev, Giovanni Falcone, Muhammad Ali and Lech Walesa. Truly giants of our time.
In the introduction to his book, Aloisio says that “the choice of characters is personal and subjective. Nor is it necessarily the choice of the twenty greatest personages of the last century, although many of the names enjoy almost unanimous international appreciation. There are twenty characters that I personally admire because with what they said and above all with what they did, they still have a lot to teach us even today.”
What defines a great man? And what is common between these twenty giants of the twentieth century? Despite the geographical and cultural differences between them, these twenty giants were all, in the author’s words, “people full of energy, enthusiasm and eagerness to make a better world, to make a positive contribution to the human life. They believed that they could make a difference in society. And they actually did it.”
Aloisio says that these “giants” were not perfect people. They had their faults too. They were imperfect giants even those who after their death were declared saints. Their main intention was to help others rather than to inflate their ego and make a name for themselves in the world.
“I am not a saint,” said Nelson Mandela, “unless by saint you mean a sinner who keeps trying.” We try to make a difference for the better in the lives of others, Mandela continues, because “what counts in life is not simply that we lived, but the difference we made in the lives of others is what gives meaning to our lives”.
They were all people who tried to see the good in others and bring out the best in the people around them. They sought to unite people and not divide them. They built bridges and not walls. They were truly citizens of the world. Because as Martin Luther King said, “we must learn to live together like brothers or we will be lost together like fools”.
As a student, says Aloisio, “I learned to love these characters; as a teacher, I have taught many students about them and they also have began admiring them. May this book serve as a good tool for teachers to educate in true values and a guide for our young people to rediscover the beautiful and lofty ideals that these twenty giants of the twentieth century had”.
Aloisio has already become an established name in the field of biographies with his previous books “Qatlu lill-Arċisqof” (2015) about St Oscar Romero, “Falcone u Borsellino” (2017), “Għaxra Żgħar Imma Kbar” (2020) about ten young saints, and “Il-Papiet Kbar ta’ Żmienna” (2022).
In addition, Robert Aloisio is the author of another four books: “Sfidaw lill-Mafja” (2017), “Għall-Passiġġati” (2019), “Knisja u Mafja” (2021) u “L-Iskola St Michael” (2022) as well as of several articles, most of them biographical, for local journals and magazines. He also wrote a number of plays for students for the school he works at. In addition, Aloisio takes care of a number of pages and groups on social media, most of them related to his writings.
This book, is another beautiful work of Preca Publications, the branch of the MUSEUM Society responsible for its publications, can be obtained from the Preca Library located next to the Chapel of St. George Preca at Blata l-Bajda. Anyone who finds it difficult to get it can call 2122 2626 or write to the author at robertaloisio@gmail.com