Now and for ever

Now and for ever.

To be or not to be ...Greek? To be Greek means bearing the honor of being the descendant of brilliant philosophers, physicists, mathematicians, medical pioneers, brilliant leaders like Pericles the architect of the Golden Age of Athens. It also means bearing the responsibility to be like them, at least to some extent, so that Greece can maintain its character …the cradle of civilization, at least to some extent. Do contemporary Greeks resemble their ancestors? Civilization implies culture. What is the cultural character of contemporary Greeks? To stage a play like Lysistrata as if it was a variety theater show? To display utter indifference to the beauty of Greece - land others travel thousands of miles to see and enjoy - by littering its countryside, its beaches, its beauty with all sorts of garbage? To uphold the ideal and the principles of the Olympic games by tolerating the doping of athletes? To talk about meritocracy, democracy, justice, but skirting these notions? To practice the ancient ideal of hospitality by endeavoring to "milk" visitors in every way they can? At the same time contemporary Greeks with all their shortcomings manage to organize the very successful Olympic games of 2004, to put together and brilliantly manage a World class Basketball team -Panathinaikos- which in the span of a few years wins five times the European championship, They distinguish themselves in academia, alas, in foreign universities. They distinguish themselves in maritime business activities with their ability to discern and thus chart successfully their business course. When they seek opportunities in other countries they generally do well. Yes the Greeks are enterprising people,sadly though a great number of Greeks succumbs to comfortable mediocraty, unlike their brethern of the diaspora. Why is that? Is the political climate in Greece? Is it that Greece offers no encouragement to develop private enterprise? Whatever the reason, the fact is that young Greeks grow up without learning how to be good citizens, how to develop themselves. The Greek educational system provides knowledge (what the school system teaches) but not education (how to live in today's world). Young Greeks learn about "life" from television and blubber among themselves. To compound the problem not all parents are good role models for their children and so Greek youth is disoriented and unmotivated. Of course a great number of young Greeks is well guided and motivated ,but they do not constitute the majority. Hence the question: Will Greece become, in the not too distant future, a country that reflects its glorious past, or will the book titled "The misfortune to be Greek" continue for ever to reflect a fact.