Decency and equality
Today’s greatest challenges come from abroad and their effects on us are inescapable. Other dangers – predictable or not – result from our own habits, mistakes and negligence. After noting the opportunities and dangers, what ought to interest us as a society is a stocktaking of our capabilities, so that we can set targets and chart our course. This is what politicians, state officials and institutions, the press and civil society do. Up to a point. If we are to succeed in the ever more difficult international environment, it will take greater participation by all to shape a new mentality and adopt new practices.
Despite the fanaticism with which we dress our small differences, Greek society has the benefit of being remarkably unified. For good or ill, we have a simplistic yet useful understanding of who we are and where we come from. Our founding myths are regularly adapted to the times. From glorious antiquity and Byzantium, through the heroic defeat of Constantinople, the Greek Revolution, the great “No” to fascism, the Polytechnic uprising, through the countless personal adventures that constitute the epic of the diaspora, we shaped a view of ourselves and the world which is both useful and limiting. The conviction that we are always struggling for justice against overwhelming odds provides a heroic pride to great moments, when the nation’s survival is at stake. But it also leads to a deep-rooted complaint that we are always victims of injustice. Again, at the national level this can be useful, as small nations need to be in a constant state of readiness to defend themselves. At the personal level, though, suspicion and complaint undermine the unity which is necessary to secure survival and the wellbeing of society and each of its members. When everyone feels cheated, they don’t believe in equality, they don’t take part in the collective effort. Instead, they are ready to fight each other.
This unpredictable century demands vigilance, flexibility and a deep understanding of circumstances and of our capabilities. This applies not only to politicians, journalists and whoever is in a position of responsibility. Each one of us needs to show the decency and interest in each other that is the foundation of equality and unity.
