It’s said that Estonians by temperament are prudent, rational and restrained in showing emotions. We’re recognized as calm and reserved, typically reluctant to draw attention to ourselves.
While not known as extroverts, we’re still perceived as hospitable, friendly and benevolent – but not always to each other, it seems.
The public discourse about the likelihood of St. Peter’s Estonian Lutheran Church in Toronto being sold has raised concerns about the possibility of unethical procedures used that are rarely practised in the community. It’s sometimes noted that, “eesmärk pühitseb abinõu” – ends justify the means. But ends and means are related, not separate actions. If the goal is morally justified, the means to get there should be ethical. Mutual acrimony, through raised voices, harsh language and personal attacks need not be a harbinger of unethical conduct. Practitioners of unethical methods usually have a smug contempt for the ‘ill-informed’. (Yes, I’m sanctimoniously judgmental. No apologies.)
Estonian traits have been starkly displayed among online comments regarding the St. Peter’s Church controversy. Can this hostility and name-calling be part of our Estonian heritage? (Kaks eestlast, kolm vaidlust.) But at the risk of sounding xenophobic, Estonians are not ‘hot-blooded’ as some other ethnic groups have been branded.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 9. juuni 2023 paber- ja digilehest)
