The courage to be free
“Greeks, God signed for our freedom and he won’t take his signature back”
⁃ General Theodoros Kolokotronis, Hero of the Greek War of Independence
The anniversary of Greece’s War of Independence reminds freedom-loving people around the world of the sacrifices made for the righteous cause of representative democracy, individual freedom, and self rule. Free people inspired to liberate themselves from systems of authoritarian rule that shackled them as “subjects” will never be able to pay the debt of gratitude they owe to the ancient Greeks who lit “freedom’s light, ” a light that even more than 400 years of Ottoman rule failed to extinguish.
This anniversary is also a reminder that history never stops and that freedom is not free. Lessons from history teach us freedom will always be challenged and that it takes courage and sacrifice to defend. As we celebrate Greece’s hard fought War of Independence, authoritarianism is rooted in and on the rise in more than fifty nations from Istanbul, to Moscow, to Kinshasa, to Damascus, to Baku, to Tehran, to Naypyidaw, to Beijing, to Hong Kong, to Pyongyang, to Havana, to Caracas, and more.
In Moscow, this week, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, two authoritarian leaders who answer to no one, strategized and celebrated the beginning of a new era of authoritarian ambition and cooperation aimed at making the world answer to them. Xi Jinping has recently stated that democracies are on the decline and that one day “autocracies will run the world.” And while Putin has spoken less about democracy and freedom, his actions in Ukraine and the region speak volumes about his thoughts on the subject. China’s Xi excitedly summed up the Moscow meeting’s clear manifesto of what will come in his departing words to Putin: “Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years and we are driving this change together.”
As we honor the Greeks who fought for freedom and continue to inspire those who fight for it today, let us remember that the struggle for freedom is ongoing, the challenges are great, and that we must remain vigilant in its defense. As Pericles said: “Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.”
May all who struggle to keep freedom’s light burning continue to draw inspiration from the courage of the Greeks and remain steadfast in the daily fight to preserve and protect democracy and freedom for generations to come. Ζήτω η Ελλάς!
* Commander Demetries Grimes is a combat decorated former US naval officer, aviator and diplomat. He has served as naval attache to Greece and Israel, deputy commander of the US base in Crete, and adviser on Ukraine to NATO’s Maritime Commander in London, UK.
