With Love from Athens by Cristache Gheorghiu - HTML preview

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AT HOME

November 1, 2011

Almost everyone with whom I meet asks me what

I'm looking in Greece, if I have relatives there

etc. I answer them that I have no relationship in

Greece and that I am go there for climate. Some

envious could not help replying: "it's good for

you, that you can afford it". But, I am

accustomed to such nasty people. I remember a

statement of a parvenu, became engineer with

the help of the communist party, temporarily

colleague with me: "You had an easy life. You

went to school because your mom sent you and,

slowly-slowly, you become an engineer, without

effort. I had to work for it. In a single school

year I followed a year of College, two classes at

high school (without frequency), besides the

school-leaving examination." From his point of

view, my life probably seems to have been easy

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slight, though I doubt; I think it was just a

replica of his knowing to be an impostor.

All the childhoods are happy in the adults’ eyes

and all the others’ childhoods are easy, flat and

trivial, unlike ours, which was dramatic and

unpaired. I know, however, that, in the same

period, my mother, a widow, lived many days with

only bread and tea, while his father was the head

of the “The Household of the Party”, which

provisioned the activists with foods forbidden

the others.

As for the idea to stay in Greece in cold season,

my income is modest enough, smaller than that of

many other people, who envy me. How could I

manage in Greece? If I count the cost of gas,

maintenance and, especially, the price of the

medicines in Romania, I almost cover the rent for

apartment in Athens. As for eating, I must eat

wherever I stay. And, if sell some paintings –

living there would be just better.

And there is something more: Romanian politics,

news of everyday about all sorts of thieves and

many others like this make me nervous. I become

grumbling even in what I write. Not that I would

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not have to critic in Greece. I have, thank God!,

perhaps even more than in Romania, but those

ones do not hurt me. They are not mine. I only

comment them.

That does not mean that I broke away from

those from at home. I learn in Greece what is

happening in Romania. There is the Internet!

However, I have the advantage that we can

select what interests me.

The Distance? The distance can help me to see

more clearly. How about my writings? So far they

had a stronger impact abroad than in my country.

Perhaps now, writing from abroad, they will have

more searching in Romania. Dreams!

November 2, 2011

- What do you think about Friedman’s

predictions on Romania?

- The name sounds familiar to me, but now I do

not know if I know who is it about.

- There is an interview appeared in a magazine;

I think I still have it a home. I will give to

you, to read. He says that Romania was wrong

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entering into OTAN and the UE. A better was

would be to ally with Turkey.

- A rather categorical solution. Politics is much

too complex for such simple verdicts. But you

made me curious.

- Tomorrow I will bring you the magazine. And

I'm curious what you think.

I received the magazine. George Friedman is the

founder of Stratfor Analysis Company. The

article is an interview, originally published in "Hot

News", from which someone extracted - I do not

know how correctly – some passages about

Romania. Here's my opinion.

Some statements are correct; others do not.

He is correct when says that Romania has no

chances to export in the UE its own products,

because of the strong competition from more

developed countries, as France, Germany and

others.

It is only polite when praise the Romanians talent

and it make him to be wrong, saying that Romania

can export to other countries except the UE and

recommends Turkey. Here, he maybe reveals a

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hidden thought (a desire), namely the formation

of a centre of power in the flank of UE and

Russia.

His mistake lays in assuming that Romania could

competitively produce by itself and on their own

initiative. No, unfortunately, Romania is not

capable for such a thing, and those few young

people, with whom we love to praise, are

marginalized, or leave abroad. As a member of a

larger community, it may assimilate a part of the

characteristics of that community. Along with

the USSR, we know what Romania assimilated. I

note today that even the food – perhaps the only

what could have been of good quality – is inferior

than from some more developed countries, and

even those from Romania of 50 years ago. As a

member of UE – even like a slum and a city – it

borrows something from western civilization. The

difference between Brasov of today, for

example, and that of 20 years ago is relevant. As

a member of the UE it may produce at least

component parts of some performing products,

can assimilate modern technologies. In one

optimistic variant, it may acquire intellectual

capacities and create opportunities for export in

countries like Turkey.

277

As for the entry into OTAN, I agree that in the

event of an armed conflict, nobody will help us.

We know that when the USSR invaded

Czechoslovakia and there was a danger to do the

same with Romania, nobody offers a support for

Romania. This was the reason because of which

Ceaushescu turned extern politics from West to

Est. It is equally true that an alliance with any of

the belligerents is a mistake. The only solution is

the defence with own forces, because, in the

case of very likely defeat, it remains the honour

and the opportunity of fast restoration, without

debts of war – material or moral – after the end

of the conflict. In our case, however, the

accession to OTAN was the first step to return

to Europe.

November 3, 2011

- You loose flesh. Greece was not favourable

for you?

- In Greece was very well.

- And then?

278

- Because of the language. It is not easy to

speak Greek with your hands.

- I see that your hair have fallen too; is that

because of the language too?

- No, my hair fell down washing it.

- That's a variant on that joke with the Russian

soldier, who has found his waistcoat.

- Which joke? I do not remember.

- You were Hellenised; you forgot the

autochthon jokes. Sasha and Ivan, two good

friends, were in the war together and they

were sworn to remain bachelors. After a few

years, however, Sasha decides to married.

Ivan, angry that he had been betrayed,

refused the invitation to the wedding,

especially since he was asked to come

correctly dressed, with a tie. All that all, but

the claim to wear a tie was over his

conception. However, after a few days, he

changed his mind and comes to the wedding as

he was asked. Very happy, Sasha thanks him.

Ivan responds that he was not to give up at

their friendship for a thing so little. "Besides,

I've found my waistcoat", he says – "Which

waistcoat?", asks, Ivan. - "The waistcoat that

I wore all the war under the shirt and keep

me warm in frosty days.” "-Yeah, it's your

279

jacket of which you was never separated. And

where was it?" – "Under the shirt, of course."

- Yes, I remembered now the joke.

- Really? You started to come back. You did not

find anything?

- Not yet. I do not had the time.

* * *

- "At in Arcadia ego".

- I was not in Arcadia.

- Everyone was in Arcadia.

- This is a platitude with stiffener. Of course,

we all was in the Arcadia of Pan, the ugly one,

with beard, horns and hooves.

- It was ugly, but he invented the pan flute.

- I would prefer Poussin's Arcadia.

- The painter of you is speaking. Or do you have

somehow the nostalgia for a lost happiness to

which you dreamed? I know that idyllic life is

not one of yours characteristics.

- Even if I have it, I'm awake at this hour.

- And that is why you limit yourself to Arcadia

from geography.

- I give you a satisfaction living to consider me

to be limited; at this hour I am open to other

topics.

280

- To geography.

- Not to the geography from the atlas, but to

the world, to the people. Moreover, the

phrase "Et in Arcadia ego” wants to suggest a

idyllic life in a beautiful scenery and,

especially, quiet. No space is important, but

the life. Well, I do not known any of these

alternatives. I have not been in Arcadia from

Peloponnese without speaking about the idyllic

life.

- I've taken me the whole poem. Now I stay to

think about the modern Arcadia, i.e. where

the movement for the liberation of the

Greeks was born.

- You fallen from one extreme to the other.

- Did you visit Delphi?

- No, I have been only in Athens. I hope in the

future, sitting there more, to do some

excursions. But why are you interested in?

Have you any question for Pythia?

- Is she still there? If I sit to think well, I

have enough questions. Who does not?

- Most of the questions since 3,000 years were

the same as nowadays: what career to follow,

if have or not trust in someone (friend,

fiancé, fiancée), if the partner is devoted to

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you etc. Her answers were just goads. "Know

yourself!" one says that belongs to her.

- She get into a trance due to gas source.

- Yes, gases are important.

* * *

- You said once that Greeks have passed from

Mythology – who have been infected and the

Romans – to Christianity, at a speed higher

than any other peoples. Not to mention about

that they are among the most faithful people

today.

- Yes, a philosophy is not born overnight, and

each religion has in its core a philosophy. It

has need a long period of gestation, and that

happened in Greece to a greater extent than

in any other part. When Christianity has

crystallized and become public – having

churches, bishops etc. – it was immediately

assimilated by the Greeks. The population was

prepared.

- What did not happen in the countries where it

was imposed top-down. There, the population

was unprepared and needed several centuries

to understand what is all about.

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- Or they never understood, as the natives

from America, where the Europeans imposed

Catholic Religion, but people continue to

maintain the old beliefs even today.

- They do not want to understand. And if you

mentioned the Catholicism, I believe that

Western Europeans never understood the

essence of Christianity, in any case, not at the

time of the Inquisition and Crusades.

-

But on which you rely on suggesting that the

ideas of Christianity was born in Greece?

-

Even St. Paul was a Jew trained in Greece. But

history is much longer. Thalion Law, for

example; the Old Testament is full of such

indications: eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth

and so on. It was replaced by its backside in

the New Testament had been disbanded by

the Greek lawgiver Draco as early as 620 b.c.

He is also the man who tries to introduce the

equality of men before the law, the Christian

principle, according to which people are equal

in the face of God. About Plato, a French man

– I do not remember now his name – said that

he was "the first systematic theologian." (It's

about M. Louis, in „ De la grand séminaire de Meaux”,

quoted by Pan Pan Vandoros in a very beautiful novel:

"Greece with and without gods".)

283

November 4, 2011

A dialogue imaginary but not too

- Big changes have not been ever made with

brutality. The revolutions produced only

disasters.

- Well, and then, how changes occur, because

the leaders never give up voluntarily to their

privileges.

- Through apparent small changes, but continue.

Christian society - European and American –

failed,

because

they

changed

the

philosophical-religious paradigm, but kept the

old economic formula, and created a

discrepancy between people’s aspirations and

reality.

- You have gone from small changes and

concluded with philosophical ideas, which I've

not understood very well.

- Specifically, when the society passed from

hereditary monarchy to modern state, based

on the institutionalisation of main social

activities, nobody thought to a state with

universal elections, where all uneducated

people are to choose their “wise” men.

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Communist ideas were in hatching. The rich

men of that time were still thinking that - in

the defending of their wealth – it is naturally

to contribute to the general expenses of the

state in proportion to their wealth. The idea

was not new. Even in Romanian countries,

every boyar used to come to war with his

army and contributed to the budget of the

country according to his economic power. Of

course, the power of his decision was

proportional with his contribution. Well, this

idea of the contribution proportional with the

wealth was perpetuated even in the market

economy. Applied to profit, it became a brake.

Its anachronism continues and creates strong

wrongdoing in society.

- Okay, you convinced me with that. How about

universal elections, everyone thinks to the

communists, but also the idea did not belong

to them.

- Obviously, it belongs to the West, with its

utopia.

We have an example just in Romania. In 1919,

some politicians created the Party of Peasants.

It was not born from the desire of farmers to

participate in the vote. The poor of them, in

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their ignorance, did not know what it was. The

politicians – although townspeople - had the idea

that – under the conditions of universal vote –

the great number of the peasants will be decisive

in the fight with their political opponents. The

Solution? Nothing simpler: put the name “of

Peasants” to their party and have initiated a

proper propaganda.

Behold, not even here, the communists have not

new ideas, but used some of the others, overdone

them.

Over a week I will go back in Athens.

November 5, 2011

Back in the country, I was curious to find out

how the situation evolves in Greece, especially

since, over a week I return. I was even glad that

you learn the news in Romanian language. As far

as I was in Athens, not knowing Greek language,

only from C.N.N. I learnt a little bit more than

nothing.

286

But, my puzzles increased by one. At Romanian

television they talk about opposition of right,

with the Prime Minister, Giorgos Papandreou,

faces in the Parliament. Socialist. He is a

Member of Socialist Panelenic Movement

(PASOC), was even the President of Socialist

International in 2006. It is a socialist born in the

U.S., Saint Paul, Minnesota, where his father,

Andreas Papandreou was student and has very

serious studies, both before and after 1974,

when he came to Greece after the restoration of

the democracy, and was heavily involved in the

politic life of his country. Moreover, its name is

George Jeffrey Papandreou, his mother,

Margaret Chant, being American. The head of

the opposition is none other but Antonis

Samaras, who had been friends with and

roommate

from

College,

at

Amgerst,

Massachusetts. As a matter of facts, both of

them pretend to be socialists.

In each of us there is an Apollo, but also a

Dionysus. How the peace between the two is not

possible the armistice is the only solution. The

fact that the violation of armistice makes one of

them to put himself forward for the moment do

not ensure him a favourable place in history.

287

But this is not that surprised me; more important

is the opposition organised in the street by KKE

(Greek Communist Party). Their claims are low

wages and taxes too high. I did not learn it from

the TV, but I saw it with my eyes. KKE is of left

extreme and has 5 percents in the Parliament.

Not a word about the right opposition, un-

represented in the Parliament.

The real problem is the economic crisis and how

to go out from it. Unfortunately, nobody think of

it; common people’s options are not left or right,

but with or without U.E. and euro.

On this chessboard, Papandreou plays with

ability. In my opinion, the Parliament will honour

its name and will remains at the level of words

(parlare, in Italian language). Left and right wings

of the opposition are both truly dangerous,

because they can determine a slippage towards

anarchy, from which other countries will know

how to seize. As for crisis, it is a deep one and

has implications in an inadequate legislation,

people’s mentality and the lack of will to change

it. Those who ought to solve it are even those

who have caused it. Unfortunately, they do not

288

want to do it, and the others are either unable,

or are handled, or both of them.

* * *

Constantin Noica complained that the Dacians

from the Trojan’s column looks like perfect with

the Romanian peasant of today: "The Romanian

<<eternity>> is rather inflexible", he said, in his

"Philosophical Journal". Here's they no longer

resemble. Something has changed. It's Okay?

We will see on the following column, perhaps in

Beijing. The Romanians, for seeing their

ancestors represented in stone, must go to Rome.

The Greeks have hundreds, maybe thousands, of

statues and bas-reliefs at their home. That

people of today do not resemble with those of

the past, anyone see. The idealization of the past

is not a solution, but its remembrance helps us to

see from where we started and where we ended

up. Was it well? Was it wrong? Why?

Athens, the goddess of wisdom, is represented

with lance and shield. What conclusion should we

draw from here? Perhaps that the wisdom must

be defended. It's clear that it does not impose

by itself and it seems that it is vulnerable. It is

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sure that Greece – and not only - needs a Solon.

He was one of the seven sages. Seven, because so

it must: seven wonders of the world, The

Magnificent Seven, The Seven Dwarfs and so on.

I do not know much about the first five. Solon

was the sixth and is known as a legislator. He

made a constitution; by his reforms stopped the

decline of Athens in an important moment and it

is said to have laid the foundations of the

democracy. Well, with the democracy I have

some question marks, but no one asks me about

my opinion. The last of the sages was Thales of

Miletus, who invented the philosophy. I was

wicked! He did not invent it, but is known as its

fathers. One ought to say "one of the parent”,

because a child needs at least two parents. Or

perhaps not, and just it might to be the reason

that it died before to truly born. The philosophy!

Thales died later.

* * *

- Why the Greeks are nosy?

- ?

- Because they are liars.

- Bravo! Have you thought about Pinocchio.

290

- Of Course. Carlo