During the ancient times, the Greek was the leader from an intellectual point of view. He was, indeed, a glorious philosopher and historian, an exemplary architect, a creative litterateur and the father of Democracy. It’s no wonder that the ancient Greek culture is praised for several centuries and studied at universities worldwide. Let’s retrospect in brief the Greek history in order to get familiar with what we are talking about.
Although the name “Greece” was recognized just in 1828, the Greek history spans a long period of centuries towards the past. Marbled figurines, pottery, palaces and acropoles unravel brilliant cultures for the historians. Homeric epics, lyric poetry, dramas and comedies unfold incomparable histories. “Golden” names, such as Plato, Pericles, Socrates, Aristotle -the list goes on- lived and thrived during those years. The first Olympic Games, the enactment of Democracy, the Panhellenic Idea date from that period.
Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that the “sparkling” past was not always as perfect as it is presented today. The civil wars, as a result of economic and political interests, were a frequent phenomenon. The orators’ prevarications were also on the “table.” Aristotle, being the teacher of Alexander the Great from Macedonia, was forced to abandon Athens after Alexander’s death due to public hostility. Socrates was convicted to death with the hidden motive of his rivalry with other significant men of that era.
The ignorance of all of the above significantly contributed to our being intoxicated by the prestige of our ancestors’ achievements. Inevitably, exemplary human beings for their age, with widened horizons, end up building walls around them, to create their own “utopia” for the eyes of the public, assuming that they are in the spotlight.
Every positive element that the New Greek has preserved from the praised past is maybe a simple caricature. They seem warm and hospitable, until the borders open for the immigrants. They seem active and diligent, until they actually need to work. They seem democratic and worthy of leadership, until they need to set up a fund for education and training. They seem fair and ethical, until money lures them into immorality. All of the above, are inextricably linked to the patriotic zeal and the belief that the Greek people are superior to the rest.
After all, can we characterize ourselves superior, when we lack stable attributes? When we ignore the daily manifestations of violence that stem from stereotypical ideologies? When we degrade education and training? When solidarity and selflessness are not compatible with our inner selves? When we undermine Democracy, when we exploit economic instability, ignorance and naivety? When we blackmail people with the aim of fulfilling our personal interest? When we live in Greece in the 21st century, but the conditions seem to be medieval? Certainly, we forget with ease, when we have a profit.
However, it is not proper to demolish everything, as there are two sides of the same coin. There are humans that are still searching for eudaemonia and seeking their intellectual completion, humans that are ready to toil away for their goals as well as for a better society. They pursue the opportunities offered to them and they create them, if need be. Not only do they excel in sciences, but also in daily life in general. They are a clot in the monotonous flux that contemporary society offers.
No matter how nicely the characterizations “carriers of the prestigious works of glorious minds” or “the Gods’ ancestors” may sound, they do not praise ourselves, but our ancestors. We have to “blossom” afresh, not with the purpose of being praised, but for the sake of ourselves, for our own society. We have to destroy the wall we have built around us and look beyond our horizons, to invest effort in our development. We have to keep our expectations high. Shoot for the stars and the worst thing that could happen is land on the moon.
Photography by Grigoris Lazaridis, Theoni Gesiou