Editorial
Italy managed a new international record: the fifth election law in twenty-five years.
The main explanation behind the achievement of this discouraging target is that each of the previous decrees was the result of a compromise, of agreements among the political parties, rather than an attempt at addressing the nation’s needs. To add salt to the injury, few members of parliaments have talked about this law as the solution to the issue while the majority consider it as another compromise: better this than nothing.
Our hope is that the good of the citizens has the precedence over the parties’ interests and re-election tactics. Negotiating is the basis of international politics to guarantee the peace among peoples, and find a solution to the crisis. The word compromise does not have a negative meaning, though it often takes that connotation, especially to those who are on the short end of the stick.
IN MEDIO STAT VIRTUS
Who in life has never conceded? We learn to do so as children, we prefer to take something rather than lose everything. Not always, of course. When our conscience aches, and we realize the stakes are too high for our liking, we stay on our path and accept the consequences. In other cases, when we believe the result is acceptable, we adapt to the situation at hand. In the worst-case scenario, we endure a compromise that goes against our ethos, which will inevitably scar us emotionally.
This applies to our political, working, and social life. Bargaining plays a decisive role in a person’s life.
We will not win nor lose, but this is hardly a satisfactory triumph! Sometimes, we accept a position for the sake of experience rather than the money, vice versa we gladly take on a job that does not satisfy us but allows for financial independence. Companies often ask their younger recruits to put in the extra time to compensate for the lack of experience, which leads to a lack of social life. On the other hand, more qualified employees are often replaced by junior, cheaper staff members.
When we take everything into account, look beyond our personal stance, when we empathize with the person in front of us, we realize that compromises offer a certain satisfaction: being able to accept them without suffering them, without the nasty feeling we’re being blackmailed. Compromising allows for a long career within the same company, we move from an internship to a fixed contract until we become freelancers to meet the needs of the market. Compromise has the aftertaste of adulthood and maturity and we come appreciate its nuances.
This dynamic also applies to marketing and has been used as leverage to increment sales. It’s simple: we offer a product and want to sell it at a higher cost compared to the market price. If we juxtapose it to an item with a higher cost, ours will appear like a good compromise in the eyes of the customer. And that’s it!
“Never trust people who promise to make you rich in a day. They are generally crazy swindlers,” but this is a story for another time.
We will not win nor lose, but this is hardly a satisfactory triumph!
