We are talking about a society, Greek and not, where the “foreign” element has penetrated everywhere. So much so, that we are now talking about something united. Cultures, languages, people and habits are starting to become one under the same roof, they have the same right to develop and maintain themselves in this common environment, whetherit being for some their own home and for others a new place, a new beginning. This global situation has us faced with a challenge. That of living with tolerance and brotherhood.
There is a great deal of rising movement on the matter, but it is still not enough. The struggle to safeguard everyone’s rights, aid operations, anti-racist voices are heard all over the world. And that’s how it should be. Because in a fast-changing world, we can’t stay stagnant. But there are still those who turn a blind eye, who turn against world peace. However, one thing is for sure: no matter what political affiliations and beliefs we have, no matter how powerful of an impact each of us has on society, no measure and no change will ever be made to settle the new reality, unless we change ourselves.
But how easy is it for us to change? How easily do we accept the new reality, live together and open our “home”? Is it reasonable to fear? I want to accept the “foreign” and the “different”. Not because you hear this everywhere,that it is not right to be xenophobic. But because every human being is a human being. And I can see that the child without a home and with wounds of war, could be my own child, the family without a future in an unknown place, could accidentally be mine. However, fear does not end there, acceptance is slow. And I wonder, should we feel guilty about this feeling of fear?
The foreign element is an “intruder”. Good or bad doesn’t matter, because before you get to know it, and get to know it well, you instinctively guardyourself from it. But this defense is reasonable. From an evolutionary point of view, the development of the human itself is done in the exact same way. As an external entity, every intruder on the body looks like a stranger and strong defense mechanisms are developed. Over time, however, the constant coexistence of different organisms in the same body or environment leads to something exciting. Each organism is embedded in one another, living together and eventually becoming united, better and more advanced. So, fear, our initial defensive attitude, hesitations and insecurities are perfectly normal. The difference lies in expressing this fear. As logicalentities, we have the power to either build walls and “kill” the foreign, or slowly, though reluctantly, to turnfear into curiosity so that the stranger eventually becomes familiar and thenwe may coexist.
Today we are experiencing a state of evolution, a merging of cultures and people, as has happened thousands of times in history. To accept this, it is enough to remember that in other circumstances, strangers were once us. And yet, many years later, we lived together and have become one. So if our course is heading towards this new reality, then we have to accept it and fear it or not, become one. Because the faster and painless this happens, the better it will be for everyone.
\* The biological definition of a host is an organism that harbors another organism, inside or near their body, in a symbiotic relationship.
Translation: Kleio Antonaki
Review: Niki Saridaki
