Home » Speeches » Living a meaningful life-Speech by Dr Maurizio Bragagni on receiving the OBE award at In & Out Naval Military Club

Living a meaningful life-Speech by Dr Maurizio Bragagni on receiving the OBE award at In & Out Naval Military Club

Ladies and gentlemen,

As you may have noticed, all the tables tonight have a specific name, which is relevant to San Marino. I am sitting at the Abraham Lincoln table. This is because, when presented with San Marino’s honorary citizenship, Abraham Lincoln accepted with the words: “Although your dominion is small, your State is nevertheless one of the most honoured, in all history. It has by its experience demonstrated the truth, so full of encouragement to the friends of Humanity, that a Government founded on Republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring.” 

Abraham Lincoln also played an important role in abolishing slavery, and often reffered to Euclid’s theory to shape his argument against it. Euclid’s first axiom states that “if things are equal to the same thing, they are also equal to each other”. Abraham Lincoln implemented this in his argument against slavery, using a proof by contradiction, and stating “If A can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B, why may not B snatch the same argument, and prove equally, that he may enslave A?” The argument was clear and irrefutable: regardless of whether the right to own slaves was defined by color, intellect, or money, an enslaver could always use the same reasoning to enslave their supposed superior.

Secondly, you should see in each of your chairs a special gift; a bottle of Bragani gin or my “Five Dames” gin. I have also gifted this exact Gin to the Prince of Wales, for which I had the pleasure to receive a nice letter from the Clarence House, saying His Royal Highness was delighted to receive the gift and it was a rare accomplishment to mix diplomacy with the creation of a new spirit!

Excellencies,

My Lords, 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to thank all of you for being with us tonight, in our celebration of a return to normality. As I always say, the most valuable thing you can offer is your time and presence, and the fact that you are sharing your time with us is the utmost sign of friendship.

I’d like to remind you of one thing I am learning, which is a rule contained in the “Rules for the Conduct of Life” of the Freeman of the city: “The right to a good death”. The only thing that is certain is death, and to have a good death you need to have a good life, and to have a good life you need to follow the commands of God. God shows us miracles everyday. 

Today, the evidence of this is that he was able to find good use for a derelict sinner like me, also thanks to your help, your support, and in particular your love. For this reason I would like to stand together to say thanks for our friendship, for our destiny, for our life and for the food we will receive from our Lord.

Thank you for being with me tonight and enjoy this celebratory evening!


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