As you may know, we have been in Greece for the past two weeks.
We flew in the same Saturday the Greek government announced that they were unfortunately running out of cash(!!!), had imposed degrading capital controls on all its citizens, and into an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty.
Alex and I have followed closely the whole thing, trying to get our heads around the ramifications of the two possible outcomes to the issue: Eurozone leave or a possible "deal."
We naively cheered the bravery of the "OXI" just to wake up the following morning to the disappointing news of Varoufakis' news of Minister No More.
We understood, as a couple who had to deal with banks and debt and interest-only payments, that this was all a game, a dirty political and financial game, on a much larger scale.
We hoped that, just like we did, a few years ago, the Greek government will SEE that the only way out of debt and stupid, generational, financial bondage was to call the IMF for their bluff and move onto a new chapter.
A difficult chapter, for sure, it would have been, but a chapter that would have shown their genuine care for the Greek nation and their desire to reconstruct a country that is on its knees financially, emotionally and in its infrastructure.
But you know what?
Fear won.
The desire for momentary comfort and a crass carelessness for the future generations' well being have prevailed and have made this young and "revolutionary" government look like flipping puppets.
Yes, there will most likely be an insufficient injection of much-needed capital being pumped into the country from Monday.
But at what cost?
Very important questions were not once asked during these two weeks by the Greeks, who either
- flocked to the banks in complete panic emptying the country of essential cash,
- buried their hand in the sand of illusions and celebrated a victory that was never to be theirs or
- blamed the inapt government and decided to put their hope in a God who has nothing to do with this whole financial mess.
"How much of the initial debt has been paid?"
"Why does the IMF act like a nasty and unscrupulous money lender which no-one dares challenging(just like in one of those Italian mafia movies from the 80s ?)"
"Whose interests are being served by entering a newer, stricter financial bondage?"
"Why does the nation have to pay for mistakes made by banks and inapt rows upon rows of governments whose only genuine desire had been to grow richer at the expense of the poor?"
"How will the poor survive, how will the economy recover, how will the country pull through this?"
"Why has tourism, the only lucrative thing at the moment in Greece, has been included into the new measures and the money that could have been used from it to reconstruct the economy will now be used to pay a never-ending and doubtfully legal debt ??"
"How will this game end and when?"
Once again, and at a larger scale, I conclude that:
- human beings prefer immediate comfort to confronting issues which will haunt their children and their children's children.
- courage runs out when it is not fueled by solid knowledge and factual information.
- "faith" is easier to claim than a clear cut approach to a very tangible issue.
Greece, may your decisions, made emotionally and under exterior pressure, not haunt you for ever and ever.
May you one day learn to stand for your children and your future and publicly reject all the malakies that were forced upon you as truth.
May you one day re-find your beauty and glory and pride.