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PARTISAN REVIEW
the peasants vote Demo-Christian, or Demo-Christian if the peasants
vote Communist.
Phenomena like the peasant's solitude or his contempt for manual
labor are, of course, closely related to his inability to use knowledge,
and to use his acceptance of a cosmic order as stimulus toward the
construction of a social and political order. No matter how great
his
sacrifice, governments and nature, landlords and drought, creditors and
earthquakes will forever continue to conspire against him. He has lost
confidence in himself (in his own ability to achieve) as well as
trust
in the government and in members of his own group. He firmly
be·
lieves that the few who have succeeded in making a career were able
to do so for some mysterious reason: one hit upon a hidden treasure;
another was lucky enough to win in the lottery; another was called
to America by a successful uncle.
This belief is also responsible for the peasant's attitude toward
his
neighbors. Since one's honest efforts are of no avail in making headway
against the impossible odds of life, and, furthermore, since there is not
enough to go around for everyone, one necessarily has to try to keep
one's head above water by using means not entirely "fair." As far as
collaboration for the common benefit is concerned, one must under·
stand that working with others always involves an initial sacrifice which
one has to be able to afford.
If
I want to join other members of my
community in building a road for the common good I have to be able
to donate a workday; if my margin of security is zero, I am unable
to join. In a more general sense, the social contract ultimately is based
upon my ability and willingness to give up something I possess in order
to receive some other good. This refers not only to the material but
to the more properly human realm as well: unless I possess a certain
freedom of action ( a measure of personal security) I am unable
to
surrender part of this freedom in order that what is left of it may
be
more solidly secured. In the world of
ala miseria,"
the individual
is
unable to give in the social-political realm. This is the more tragic as
we know
him
to have preserved, outside that realm, a profound sense
of human solidarity as witnessed, for example, by his hospitality. In
fact, there are few things in this world more touching than the simple
generosity of a peasant, than his joy at giving all to the stranger who,
away from home, needs love and attention. Incapable of working to–
gether with his neighbor in the solution of the most insignificant prob–
lem of his daily life, he knows how
to
be a royal host to the guest who
is not a neighbor but just a man.
This should explain why
ala omertjj"
is practically the only form
