Years of Stone

Voice: Stelios Kazantzidis

Lyrics: Stamati Spanoudakis

Clarinet: Vasilis Saleas

Translation: Stavros

Σκληροί καιρόι μες την φωτιά
εφτά καημοί πληγές εφτά

Και γω κρατώ κλαδί ελιάς
και συ να κλαίς σαν με κοιτάς

Ελλάδα στους ώμους την γή κουβαλάς
εσύ που χάραξες τους δρόμους
την φωνή σου να βρείς ζητάς

Σαν μια γιορτή απ ' τα παλιά
χρυσή εποχή θα ρθείς ξανά

Ελλάδα στους ώμους την γή κουβαλάς
εσύ που χάραξες τους δρόμους
την φωνή σου να βρείς ζητάς

                * * *

Hard times in the inferno
seven yearnings, seven wounds

I hold an olive branch
and you cry watching me

Greece carried the world on her shoulders
opening up new ways
Now she seeks to find her voice

As a celebration of the past
a golden age will come again

Greece carried the world on her shoulders
opening up new ways
Now she seeks to find her voice

Years of Stone.  Hard times. As I see and read about what is going around me these days I cannot help but regard the era we live in as barren and devoid of hope for the future. My fellow bloggers at LandOfMiracles and Hellenic Antidote chronicle the steady stream of bad news from the Hellenic world.  While I bear silent witness to what seems to me to be the unremitting decline of my own country. 

To be sure our generation has not been the first nor will it be the last to experience hard times.  Our ancestors were tested in the crucible of this world, why should we be an exception? No doubt that the economic realities are bleak; unemployment and inflation are on the rise. The standard of living is falling. There is doubt that our children will do better than their parents.

The economy however, is the least of my worries. Whether my children will have a big screen TV or drive a BMW is unimportant compared to whether or not they will live in a just, moral society unencumbered by the ever growing presence of the state in every aspect of their lives. Will my grandchildren grow up in a society rife with citizens who are slaves of chemical dependency and sex, ignorant, directionless, unthinking wards of a cradle to grave state apparatus that is dedicated to stamping out individual excellence or initiative in the name of diversity and equality? Will they live in a society where people are constantly categorized into self interested groups who are pitted one against the other in order to facilitate the power of the few. Will they live in a leaderless society where people take their cues from bankrupt politicians and know nothing entertainers? Will they live in a society where they have the right to be taken care of but denied their God given and inalienable rights?

Now I don't profess to have all the right answers to the vexing problems facing us. Neither does any one political party or individual. The answers lie in our past, in our history, if only we would give our ancestors an opportunity to tell us. That said, I believe I can discern some of the root causes of the mess we find ourselves in. Absent any attempt to address these problems dooms us to more of the same, if not worse.  They are as follows:

Secularization. The struggle to banish religious faith and a moral code based on it from the public square as if religion must only be practiced in the confines of our houses of worship.

Balkanization. The emphasis on what divides us instead of what unites us. Every society must be based on a mutually accepted set of principles and cultural elements that everyone adheres to otherwise there is no glue keeping its disparate pieces together. Promoting the interests of one group over another or creating a victim mentality or sense of entitlement, no matter how well intentioned, is self-defeating.

Education. The transformation of the role of education from one devoted to the development of critical thinking and competence to one of political indoctrination and social engineering.

Leadership. The creation of a political elite that is self serving, morally bankrupt and unwilling to make the difficult political decisions required or lead by example.

Family. The breakdown of the traditional family unit (the foundation of every successful society) aided and abetted by the state, the breakdown of societal norms and the goals of self-interest groups such as feminists or gays.

Statism. The expectation that the state whether of the Right or Left, can solve every human problem, given the chance.

As I look around me I see the wreckage strewn far and wide. I see a nation which elevates and worships a sad, emotionally disturbed man as some kind of heroic figure. Lawmakers who vote for laws that they neither understand nor have read. Politicians who believe that adultery does not disqualify them from holding office or even assuming the role of a moral authority. Citizens who expect that their debts need not be repaid. Union members who feel entitled to exorbitant benefits even when they are paid for by the taxpayers. Teachers who teach their students what to think instead of how to think.

Time to stop wringing our hands, whether we live in the United States or in Greece, it's time to find a voice and fight the rot.

Comments

[maria v]

greek people are not sitting around lethargically, pretending that nothing is wrong with thier country. they are alert, and they do fight wherever they can, and with whatever means they have.

just look at what happened in one year with the price of milk. the price of milk?, you ask me. what's that got to do with the price of fish?
find out more:
http://organicallycooked.blogspot.com

by the way, some people in this beautiful island where i live have a life, and actually live it.
i want to share this with you because it's so unbelievable. i work part time, sharing my 3-day job with another person. we see each other once a week (the day our work coincides). to catch up on the week's events, i asked her on tuesday where she was when she heard the news about michael jackson. she answered 'what news?' i then told her that he had died a few hours after farrah fawcett. "what?" said my friend. they'd been dead for nearly a week by that point.

isnt it amazing when people remain unaffected by the mass media? my friend was out and about, enjoying the sea, the summer, socialising, and she 'missed' this - i admire her for that

[Margaret]

Here's something to lift your mood, Stavros,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

which ends with my favourite word.

All you need is a little spark to light a fire.

Filmed in Edinburgh, btw, a favourite place for Ismini and DD, I gather, and my husband's birthplace.

[Stavros]

Maria,

All of us continue to live our lives as best we can under the circumstances we find ourselves in. Perhaps living a life of philotimo, surrounded by family and friends, while trying to eke out some enjoyment in its simple pleasures is enough.

Unfortunately the events of the world around us sometimes make it difficult if not impossible to live life in isolation even if it is on a beautiful island. Grim reality often intrudes as it did in 1941 and we are forced to go out and meet what comes.

I don't think the great mass of people are alert at all. They are in a self-induced slumber, trying to go about there lives, shaking there heads now and then but nevertheless feeling quite helpless. Some have even given up voting as if it is a waste of time. Please forgive me if I am not heartened by people refusing to pay outrageous prices for over priced commodities, especially when they keep voting and electing the same people responsible for the current state of affairs, again and again.

I am not singling Greeks out for criticism, we Americans do the same thing. In fact, I think the level of ignorance and apathy in my country is appalling. This post was written as a personal exercise. I wanted to get some things off my chest and put my thoughts on paper. It is probably more for my benefit than anyone else's.

I write letters, contribute money, volunteer, vote. I try to teach my sons the importance of citizenship and philotimo. All of that seems less than adequate.

Margaret,

Pretty amazing stuff. There is always hope and absent that, there is honor in guarding our respective Thermopylaes, even if the Medes are destined to break through after all.

Both,

I do appreciate your comments.

[maria v]

here's a story you will also appreciate:
http://globalgreekworld.blogspot.com/2009/07/global-greek-lifestyle-greeks-know-how.html

[Stavros]

The "global Greek." I like the sound of it.

[Athanasios]

As a Greek who has been born and lives in Greece, I'd like to add some more reasons for today's mess:

1. Lack of civil consciousness. The modern greek society gives the impression of a civil one but it's not. People's mentality is one of a villager who has come to town.

2. Lack of vision. In order to achieve goals, you got to make a thorough assessment of your objective capabilities, needs and desires. In other words, you got to know who you are, what you can do and what you want to do. Nobody knows where the country is heading to and nobody seems to care much about it. Nobody is ready to seriously discuss about and confront the real problems. Moreover, nobody seems willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of the public good.

3. Curtailment of spontaneity and entrepreneurial endeavor. The economic and social environment is discouraging for people who might wish to start up innovative bussinesses. There's a hostile attitude in the community for people who are involved in bussiness.

4. The prevalence of extreme left wing and right wing ideas in the masses. Irrationality in all aspects of life.

5. The corrupt political, economic and social elite. Most of those who make up the leadership of the nation (politicians, bussinessmen, hierachs, high rank police officers, etc.) only care about maintaining office and power and their high positions do not reflect their true moral value.

6. Lack of meritocracy. Qualifications are of no importance when it comes for someone to be hired in the public sector. What counts most of the times is which politician one is affiliated with and the number of potential votes one can offer.

7. People, although they recognise the morbidity of the whole thing, they tend to watch the present situation in apathy rather than try to change it.

Excuse my poor english.
I really appreciate what you do.

Athanasios.

[Stavros]

Thano,

A clear, cogent and well written comment that hits the nail squarely on the head.

Thank for taking the time and effort to write it. I will attempt to use it as basis for a response in a future post.

There is nothing wrong with your English, it is much better than my Greek.