Cristache
Gheorghiu
Volume 3
Athens,
2013
Why Anastasia chose Glyfada is easy to guess.
It was the most coveted in that moment, similar with a select resort. It is on
the west coast of Attica, between Cap So union and Piraeus.
At Cap Sounion, only the ruins of Poseidon’
Temple is to be found. Being on a promontory in southern extreme of the
peninsula, we may expect to find there a fortress for supervising the sea. This
would be in our era, after the inventing of firearms, when Greece of Pericle no
longer existed. The temple, a photographic symbol of the peninsula, speaks us
about the time when people used to prayer to gods and invoke their help before
going to fight. Maybe from this promontory Aegeus, king of Athens and Theseus’
father, threw himself in the sea, when he saw that the mails of the sailing
ship of this son coming from Crete were black and not white, as they agreed in
case of victory against the Minotaur. Theseus killed the Minotaur, but he
forgot the agreement. Aggrieved, his father plunged in the sea and, since then,
the sea wears his name, as a sign of people’s esteem. The reason of Theseus’
negligence was the joy of victory, according with the opinion of some exegetes,
or the sadness of losing Ariadne, who was took from him by the god Dionysus,
according with others opinion. No matter of their opinions, Cap Sounion is not
inhabited. Maybe, because the winds are strong here.
Piraeus instead was a seaport for ages, thanks
to its position. In time, both it as Athens developed as, today, it is a
district of the capital. But, for Anastasia, it activity is far to be
attractive. On the contrary, she looks for a quite place.
Between those two extremes, Cap Sounion and
Piraeus, Glyfada seems to be the ideal. You recognise it from the forest of the
mast of yachts and elegant shops.
A small disadvantage is the distance from the
centre. Happily, there are many busses toward Glifada and a tramway line is
building by the Italians. They say it will be great.
The apartment is nice and sunny. It has two
bedrooms, a living and, of curse, bathroom, kitchen etc. The distribution of
the rooms is a little odd. Those two bedrooms are on the corners of the
building and each of them has two large doors, which are windows as well. They
look well, but are improper for bedrooms. Instead, the living is in the middle
of the apartment and has a single one door-window. During the winter, the
bedrooms are cold and the living cannot be aerated as it ought to be. The Greeks
are preoccupied by the warmth during the summer and less for the cold of
winter, but the hot days are not just terrible and are not too long. The cold,
instead, left traces on people’s body. It can see on the street: the number of
women with problems of the health is surprisingly great. The women prevail,
because the stay at home, while the men stay anyway else.
The apartment, though it looks perfect at the
first sight, needs some small repairs. She talked with a plumber and he
promised to come at ten o’clock. At twelve, he did not come yet, so she ringed
him up. He excused and promised to come in ten minutes. Still, at thirteen he
did not arrived. She ringed him up again. He answered that he would be on the
way and in ten minutes will be in her apartment. Again ten minutes. She
remember that, some time ago, a friend said her, but she did not believed,
that, when a Greek says he will come in ten minutes, it means that he has this
vague intention, but nobody knows when he will be able to do it. Instead, you
must wait for him. Then, she thought her friend exaggerated. Now, she really
has to wait for the plumber. Meanwhile, she learns on her own experience that,
if the plumber really is on the way and there are chances to come in short
time, this one could be very long, if he meets someone. A simple “How do you
do. How are you?” may last an indefinite time.
The Anastasia’s greatest discontent is the
strikes of those who work in public transport. She is not obliged to go every
day in the centre of Athens, as everything she wants is to be found in Glyfada.
The centre is interesting only in evenings, for going at a performance or
visiting someone but, for the time being, she had a lot of other unsolved
problems, so that the time allocated to entertainment is reduced. The problem
of transport affects Ileana. She lives in Kipsely and need the cross the
centre. One day she came with a taxi, but it would be much too expensive.
Sometime, the taxi drivers make strike too. Coming on foot is impossible; the
distance is much to long. So far she absented two times. Anastasia had to stay
with Fotios, abandoning all the others works.
In the United States, people do not make
strikes for two hundred years. Why the Greeks do it, she does not realize. Of
course, for better salaries, more rights etc. At the first sight, it seems
natural. Who does not want more than he has? Or, inverse: not matter how much
he owns, man wants more. Who puts a limit and in which way? Is it a question of
the good sense? Anastasia herself is a Greek women and she is tempted to
consider that her conational people are right but, seemingly, something is
rotten here. Here, not in Denmark. In taverns and cafés, people chat a lot
about politics. She is expert neither in economy nor in politics, but she realizes
they are not better, but talk more acrimony, as they know fewer. Of course, all
of them think they own the truth. A thing is sure: the strike disturbs her, and
if they disturb her, it means that they disturb a lot of other people. To whom
they are useful? A question without answer, at least for her.
In the United States, she learnt that, because
of the competition, the employers strive to engage employees as good as
possible. In order to attract them, they offer salaries higher that the rival
societies. In this stage, the worker cannot emit pretensions, he must persuade.
On the other hand, he one already engaged can suggest he is wanted by a rival
enterprise with a higher salary. If he is well appreciated, his boss will
increase his salary; if not, he will tell him: “O.k. You make us a favour if
you leave”. Anastasia did not learn it at the school, but from reality. What is
different in Greece? People have a different logic here? What? Difficult to
know!
Marshall Plan helped some Europeans countries,
including Greece, after the Second World War. Greece continued to receive helps
and is still helped, but its economy decay more and more, in contrast with
Germany, which, after two lost wars, is in the top of European economy. The
difference comes from the fact that German people used correct the money, while
the Greek, embezzled it. Instead to invest, he deposed them in foreign banks on
personal accounts. They do not want to see it, even if, inwardly, they know it
very well. What obnubilates their minds is the believe that they are some
sly-boots. Consequently, middle class, that who gives economic power of any
nation, is almost absent in nowadays Greece. There are only the classes of poor
and very rich persons.
It is said that all evil is toward the well, which
sometime comes true; the reciprocal assertion would be taken in consideration
as well: too much well may bring the evil. The Greeks forgotten that only a
dictatorship could get them out from the miserable situation in which they had
been. Now, the same chronic draw-backs were present. Besides, the helps from
abroad, incorrect used, taught them lazy.
What would be fit for the Greeks is the verse „Je meurs de soif auprès de la fontaine” (I die of thirst next to the running
fountain). Beneficiary of the most generous financial offer of which a country
ever enjoyed, they claim of poverty. The verse above-mentioned was the theme
that le duke Charles
d’Orléans gave at the
contest of poesy in 1458, won by François Villon.
The duke was himself a poet but, unlike the most of others, he appreciated the
good poems even if other poets had written them.
The patriotic pride of the Greeks could help
them to find a better way for the economic straightening, but it remains only
as amusement for other people. Here is an example. Instead of boiled coffee,
for make the difference with instant coffee, they say Greek coffee. They would
say Turkish coffee, as all European people say, but the Greeks are allergic to
all expressions containing the word Turk. The coffee can be neither Greek nor
Turkish. It does not grow in these countries. The expression Turkish coffee
appeared in Europe during the siege of Vienna. This one last enough for the
Austrian people to take the custom of drinking coffee from the Turks, which in
their turn had took it from the Arabian. The express “Greek coffee” is out of
any justification.
Another anomaly is the politics of the prices.
Some Greek products are very expensive. The olives, for example – a classic
Greek product from the few exported – are more expensive in Athens than abroad.
With a strategy like this on does not built a prosper economy. Due to the high
prices, people need high incomes and the national financial balance lost its
poise. “The horn of abundance” could stop to work. Amalthea grown old and they
replace the Mythology with the Christianity, which has some different legends.
Today, the dislike of Greeks toward the
occidental countries is increasing. It is older. First, the Romans occupied
them. The fate was good with them, as – after the fall of Western Roman Empire
– the Greeks became the strongest over the Eastern Roman Empire. Not in the
best of their dreams something like this occurred. But, in time, the empire
receive as a gift was decline more and more, while the occidental Europe were
more and more stronger, first economical and then political. The great schism
occurred in 1054 and it was fallowed by the crusades. Now, the dislike is
concentrated on Germany, the country with the greatest participation in
Europe’s incomes, that who help Greece, and ask for returning its debts.
It is difficult to know how hardworking were
the Greeks in the past. Those who made possible the independence are to be
admired, but these of today are only lazy. The Turks, instead, are not those
who stay all day long in the front of the shops smoking from nargilehs, as some
of them used to do in the past. After the Second World War, they invaded the
occident, particularly Germany, where work hardly. The Greeks did not do it.
Consequently, Turkey is in progress and Greece in regress.
The main cause of the economic failure is the
ignorance of the middle class. An example is the writing with an archaic
alphabet, preserved with the argument of tradition. “If we change the alphabet,
people will not be able to read in original Homer’s works”. But Homer did not
write and most super-patriots of today cannot read but capital letters. Their
commerce is at the level of the small speculator. The mechanisms of the modern
economy are unknown by the common Greek. All these allow to those more informed
of them to get rich and the country to collapse.
· *
*
Ileana does not go on making commutation
Kipseli-Glyfada every day. She thinks even to return in Romania. Anyway, she
will leave Anastasia, so that she must find someone else to care of Fotios.
-
I am eager of returning in Romania to eat fresh
fish.
o
Do you live close to the sea?
-
Ah, no, the Black Sea is 300 kilometres far
away. I live at the foot of the mountains.
o
And then, from where do you have fresh fish?
-
From the sea, from Danube, from the lakes,
rivers, nurseries. They bring it. There are a lot of nurseries around,
particularly of trout.
o
And, how do you know the fish is fresh and not
congealed and thawed?
-
This occurs in Athens. With us some of them
move yet. In some shops, there are even large aquariums with fishes swimming
there. You can choose the one you want.
o
I must understand this is an irony to the
Greeks, who have fish under their very nose, but do not take the trouble to
fish it?
-
An irony would very little. It is a shame for
them to eat fish from import and beg for money to buy it.
· *
*
I mentioned earlier the book “The Quest” by
Nikos Themelis, for his description of Smyrna of the end of nineteen centuries.
He describes as well the spiritual atmosphere of its inhabitants of different
ethnics. The Greeks were active, enterprising, energetic, clever, skilful,
informed about the commercial and financial European mechanisms, while the
Turks were remarkably only through their passivity. The businesses of the
Greeks were going very well in full Ottoman Empire, while the Turks were
inactive. Here is a short excerpt from the book. „In Smyrna it was the
Greeks who pulled the strings in all the fields, power, commerce, society. They
were influential, run business according with their own rules and set the
fashion.” (page 285) Maybe, concerning the Greeks, the author’s patriotism
induces some subjectivism, but, concerning the Turks, his narration concord
with that from universal literature.
There is a similarity with the atmosphere from
Athens of today, looking at the cafés full with Greeks all day long. It seems
the situation turned inversely. Turkey is a prosper country now, while Greece
cannot get out from the crises. A second difference is a minor one: the Greeks
are not passive, as the Turks were. On the contrary, they are active, but only
at the chats. The effect is the same: null, because their argumentation proves
only their ignorance in economic problems. Somebody said: “ The deaf man speak
louder than he hear well; the stupid one talk more than the one who understand”
(Nicolae Iorga).
At the end of the nineteen-century, the Ottoman
Empire was in strong decline. It already lost the most part of its territory.
The lazy Turks, described in literature, can be neither these of today nor
those who, many centuries ago, started from central Asia and conquering immense
territories from Asia, Asia Minor and Europe, ending with the victory on the
capital of former Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, in 1453. What happened in
the meantime? Simple! They got used to live well without effort, doing nothing
but smoking. The fighters, for example, were janissaries, recruited as children
from the occupied countries. The abundant life made them lazy. Their only
remarkable products were the sweets. The similarity with nowadays Greeks is
obvious. Their laziness is an effect of the good life assured by the helps from
abroad. Of course, it can be changed, I pray for it to be good, but the Greeks
ought to do something in this concern.
If the laziness of the Turks from the past is
similar with that of the Greeks of today, still there is a genetic difference:
the Greeks are impulsive and avaricious, while the Turks were softhearted and
generous. Maybe this is a result of the history and time will equalises the
difference. The Greeks, though have allergy to anything remembering them of
Turks eat Turkish sweets like baklava, kataif etc., maybe because they do not
know how to prepare better ones, and manoeuvre the comboloi, something like the
rosaries, but shorter, with the difference that they do it nervously. While a
Turk turns the rosaries one after another, probably thinking at the stories
from a thousand and one nights, the Greek throws nervously the comboloi from
one part of the palm to the other, having in imagination an rival on the ring
of boxing.
It is clear that we do not need to find other
causes for the decay of the former empires. The laziness due the good life is
an explanation satisfactory.
· *
*
An excerpt from a letter to Nikos, an old
friend of Fotios and Anastasia, from Canada.
“Mama died. Without commentaries! At the burial, a
fewer people even I was expected. Much more were when my father died. At his
burial, enough friends and fellow worker came. Mom never worked and true friends
she did not succeed to have.
I discussed this
morning with an advocate about the writing down the legacy documents. The
house, I will sell it, as I do not want to live there. Not only from
psychological reasons, but I catch the taste of the littoral now and this
district of Athens liked me more. Besides, the old centre of Athens spoils
itself on every passing day. And the strike of the workers and the
manifestations in the streets – ah, these manifestations, what imbecilities! –
I do not want to see them any longer. They are not only disturbing, but make
you to think about the direction toward the Greece is directing. With all my
troubles, I do not like to think that I embarked myself in a ship sailing
toward a wrong direction.
Where I go? There
are not signs of change and maybe there are not wanted. I am no longer young
for wishing a prince riding a white horse, inviting me in a golden palace. I
want only a peaceful time for me.
Kosty will marry.
Fotios will remain in the same situation the rest of his life. The recuperation
was partial. More than it is not possible. After the gravity of the accident,
it was a miracle the doctors succeeded even so. He can move, but very slowly
and helped. He understands and can say only simple ideas of strictly necessities.
He needs a social assistant permanently, as I cannot sit all day and night with
him; I must deal with all domestic and extra-domestic problems. I will care of
him all the rest of his life and al long as he will live I will not have
another husband, probably the rest of my life.
In fact,
I was alone all my life and will remain alone. I only want to be peaceful.”
She will inherit other estates as well. After a
hard life, it is seemed unbelievable to her, but there is the possibility of
improving her life, at least from financial standpoint.
Nicky moved in Cyprus for good and all,
together with her friend.
· *
*
After visiting a family of Anastasia’s parents’
friends.
-
We need to take immediately an aspirin. I am
frozen. My feet are numb with cold.
o
While you find the aspirin, I will have a glass
of ouzo. If this time we did not fall ill, it means we are strong.
-
Give me ouzo too. It is more rapid. Up till the
aspirin will make its effect, I am shaking in every limb.
o
I do not know what those men have in their mind
to stay in full winter without heating.
-
They are stingy. And they are not alone. It was
our fault not dressing accordingly. Actually, it was my fault. I forgot that,
many people here warm the house only two-three hours in the evenings.
o
This is a stupid idea. In two-three hours only
the air is warm. The furniture, the walls, remains cold.
-
Just worse! They become damp.
o
They do not think? With cold dwelling, with the
floor by marble, it is not of wondering that old women are ill.
-
The majority of the inhabitants in Athens are
from the county, where people do not stay in the house during the day. They
work outside.
o
Here nobody read a book? All people go to the
café?
-
Only the men. The women take care the house,
the children. That’s why they get ill.
o
It’s terrible what you say. The children, do
not have to do homework?
-
They do it as then can. Children have more
energy.
o
Those are not homework well done. It is not
surprisingly the Albanians learn better. Probably they have more modest houses
and being smaller, they can warm them easily. The Greeks made large houses, as
probably they seen in movies, but which are not for them.
-
It is true; they are large spaces, difficult to
warm….
o
And then, they do not warm them at all. Forgive
me, but this proves a great level of ignorance. The parents have not
intellectual preoccupations. This is visible at distance. It is a great
difference to move, even in the kitchen, and stay on the chair. But to keep the
children in cold, it means not to know how is to learn. Probably the majority
of them do not learn. School is for them a formality.
-
They are people from the village who only live
in town.
o
But it happened some generation again.
-
Their mentality is the same.
o
It is clear. They are uneducated people. I
thought Greece is a civilized country.
-
They think it is.
o
It is something to think and something else to
be. They are only peacock. Still, they could think. With the sun of Greece all
the houses would have solar panes.
-
These ones are expensive, and they are miser.
o
Penny wise and pound-foolish. With an initial
invest you have free warm all the life.
-
Without the medicines, for which you have to
spend a lot.
o
Take another ouzo. I hope we will have a normal
house.
-
I hope too.
· *
*
There are many Russians in Glyfada. Most of
them are businessmen, or at least this is what they say. Not matter which is
their job they are rich. Of course, they engage priority Russian women as
housekeepers. This one does not stay in Glyfada, but in other districts,
particularly in Kalithea. It is not just near, but the road is along the
littoral, not crossing the centre of the Athens, Syntagma Square, where
frequently are meetings ending with clashes with the police. As Ileana is going
to leave and Anastasia has to engage another person, maybe she will find a Russian
woman.
She thinks to move from Glyfada. Anyway, she
wants to buy an apartment, and Palaio Faliro is a district about people speak
that will be soon as elegant as Glyfada. For the time being, the priced are
smaller, so that the moment is favourable. Besides, it is nearer to Kalithea;
it will be easier to find a person to care of Fotios.
Glyfada is not longer as attractive as it
seemed at the beginning. Besides, instead to buy an expensive apartment here,
in an old building, it is more advantageous to do it in Palaio Faliro, in full
development. She had the opportunity of buying a new one and to arrange and
equip it according with her taste.
Athens is all in construction and
reconstruction. A lot of great works are done for the Olympic Game, which will
be here soon. Everywhere there are sites. It is a problem now the cross the
town, but, over one year, everything will be much nicer. It is the case. The
littoral will benefit as well by it.
· *
*
-
Hello!
o
Sophia is speaking.
-
Hello Sophia, how are you?
o
Hey! Do not take me with this language. Even if
I am now an American woman in documents, English language is not still my
language. Speak me in Greek, please.
Sophia, her friend to whom she had met in the
United States, had married with an American and moved to him. Now, Anastasia,
after forty years, has become again Greek, while Sophia an American.
-
I am o.k. Tell me how are you.
o
Every thing is o.k. here. I called you as I
want to speak Greek with someone, so tell me how are you.
-
I am moving from Glyfada in Palaio Faliro, so I
am busy with all kind of things
o
I imagine what is on you. I suppose you will
have a larger space there. This probably is the main reason.
-
The space is a problem. The women who used to
care of Fotios left me. I engaged an Ukrainian woman instead. She is a cook too
and will do the shopping as well. After we well move, she will stay with us
permanently. With Fotios, and me as Kosty will marry and does not want to stay
with us.
o
Who does not, he or she?
-
I do not know if he or she. It is not important,
as I think it is better if the mother-in-law does not stay with the
daughter-in-low. I am the mother-in-low and, though I think I would be a good
one, other people may have a different opinion. Besides, the Fotios’ presence
does not make pleasure to someone.
o
You are right! And in with language you and
your Ukrainian woman will understand? Will you learn her language now? This is
a kind of Russian, isn’t it?
-
She already speaks Greek; bad, but you
understand what she wants to say. She is grim against the Russians. She says
they are criminal. She relates terrible things about them. After the Bolshevik
revolution, as the Ukrainian people were refractory, the Russians besieged with
the army several villages, confiscate their aliments and leaved them to die
with hungry in full winter. If someone had gone out trying to take out from the
earth a root or a comestible plant, they would have shot him dead. Over seven
million people died then.
o
It is terrible what you said. A really
genocide.
-
A Soviet theory is “the man could be reduced to
what he eat”. And for a little food, a famished man does anything one asks him
to do.
o
I know that, after the war, the Russians
extended the persecution over the occupied countries (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria
etc.) and especially in the stolen territories. They wanted to do – and they
did – a corridor up till Germany. For this they took from Romania, Poland,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary. From Romania they took a whole province and named
it Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldavia, though its name was Basarabia. It was
a first step for drawing near the following province, named just Moldavia.
-
I know you are good in history. People from all
these countries wanted to remain Europeans.
o
O.k. Let’s the history aside. Are you trusted
in your Ukrainian women?
-
She is from a small village; I did not memorize
its name. They were nine children. A family very poor. She wants to send them
money from what I will give her. It impressed me. She seems to be a good girl.
A little naïve, but hardworking and honest. She say also the N.K.V.D. – the
Soviet political police – was nicknamed “Ni Znaiu Kagda Vernusi Damoi”, namely
“I do not known when I will be back home”. This is so, because they used to
come during the night, arrested the men and carry them at their headquarter.
From there, people could be deported in Siberia or even killed. Only a few of
them came back. She would leave long ago. Not only her. Many people would
leave, but they could not. They were not allowed. The whole country was like a
jail with the walls at the frontier. Only now, after the dismemberment of the
former USSR, they can leave. That’s why there are so many Ukrainians in Greece
and other countries. And not only the Ukrainians. Even the Russians, as their
life was not better.
Anastasia signed the contract for buying an
apartment in Palaio Faliro. The block of flats in being to build, so she will
be able to arrange it as she wants. She met the entrepreneur, who seems to be a
kind-hearted man, so she could talk with him about some changes.
The building is inside of five minutes of walk
by the sea. Just on the front of the sea would not be better, though she could
see it through the window. Between the sea and the row of the buildings there
are Poseidonos Avenue, where the stream of cars is continue on six traffic
lanes. The noise and pollution are continue as well. Besides, the breeze can be
wind from time to time and, in winter, it could be cold. From her block – she
is an owner now, isn’t it? – she cannot see the sea, because of the buildings
in front of it but, on the other hand, they offer a perfect protection against
the noise, pollution and wind. The street is a silent one, close to a church
and the sea is close by. The names of all, or almost all, streets in the area
are from Mythology. Her is Alkionis. It is of one of the Pleiades, those seven
daughters of the god Apollo (or Atlas in other versions) and the nymph
Pleione. The legend says that, because
Orion – lover hunter – was following them through the forest with his dogs,
Zeus moved all them in the sky. What we can see now are three constellations:
the Pleiades, Orion and Dogs. One a year, in August, the canopy of heaven is
beautiful light by the glint of Pleiades.
She never was too much church-going, but now,
as she is almost to pass beyond the second age, it would be better to be close
by God. So far, he did not see her too much, by . . . for now on . . . who
knows. As a child, in England, all girls went with teachers to the church. It
was, of course, an Anglican one. Later on, in America, like most Americans, she
went from time to time to the closest church, irrespective of its confession.
There is Orthodox churches in New York, but they were too far away from their
house. Now, she will have just an Orthodox one next door. Greeks did not lose
their faith. The churches are full and, on holidays, are overcrowded. Maybe she
will go more frequently. Not as much during the religious services, when the
priests’ incantations dishearten her. In the rest of the time! The Orthodox
churches are open every day, for morning till night. In the absence of the
priests, when only a few believers come to worship, the church is a space where
you can come with your thoughts. The atmosphere from inside does not give to you
the answer at your troubles, but render you the trust and peace of the soul,
necessary for the struggle with the ups and downs of life.
· *
*
It is evening now and – after a full day – the
sea offers the perfect atmosphere for a relaxation more than necessary.
In Glyfada, their house was relatively far from
the sea; she walked about a quarter of an hour. There, the shops were superb,
but you do not spend all the time among the exhibits you cannot buy. The
closest beach was not very nice and there is not an alley for walking at the
seaside. Here, in Palaio Faliro is much different. The large alley is well
lighted, with benches here and there; it is special arranged for relaxing. A
lot of people come here. Some of them make jogging, other walk or stay on the
benches, looking at the sea. At any hour, just late in the evenings, there are
persons swimming, even during the winters.
It is already dark now and the lights of the
steamships going to or coming from the port of Piraeus twinkle like glow-worms.
Among the ships, some boats are, even several yawls. Some of them have a
reflector in the top of the mast lightening the mail. In the dark of the night,
they seem phantoms moving up and down. Nice phantoms! Among the stars,
airplanes and helicopters cross the sky silently. They only complete the play
of lights.
And the small Piraeus peninsula, with a hillock
in the middle of it, with thousands of lights of different colours, seems a
huge stitch with a needle pointed toward the open sea.
Here, in Palaio Faliro, the water of the sea
reflects the lights of the town in the small harbour. It is something deserving
to be painted. Anastasia did not remember to ever seen something nicer, not
even in Miami.
Stop dreaming! It is too nice here. Let’s go
from here. Tomorrow a full day will be again.
· *
*
The choice was inspired. One of the advantages
of the district is its inhabitancies; many of them Greeks, came from other
countries, after the dismemberment of the former USSR. These ones have nothing
moreover, but have something very important in minus: anachronistic traditions.
Even poorer, they are more decent and civilised. If in Ano Kipsely – an older
district – the taverns and cafés are full of men from morning till night, while
the women carry the shopping bags and work all day long, in Palaio Faliro, the
cafés are full with clients of both sexes. As for the women, they are sounder.
Seemingly just nicer!
Palaio Faliro became just an elegant district,
in which is pleasant to walk, both on the main street, with nice shops and
cafés at very turn, and the front of sea, till late in the night. From this
point of view, Anastasia has all reasons to be contented. From others, on could
discuss. Reasons of discontent are easy to found by everyone, irrespective of
his situation: financial, social, sentimental or of any other nature. Happy is
only the one who succeeds the balance between wishes and achievements. Of
course, the dwelling is not the most important thing. It only creates better or
worse conditions of life, which is not at all of neglecting. It is a support
for the others, but one cannot build something without support.
· *
*
Through the windows of her apartment, Anastasia
see the other four blocks of flats of seven floors plus one of four floors, so
she can feel the pulse of the town. A lady from the block just opposite feed a
group of cats. There are at least six. When they do not sleep, they
magnificently walk on the wall of stones between the blocks. All of them are
big and fat, but one of them is huge. Now and again, during the nights, they
emit a mewing like a child’s crying. Sometimes, Anastasia thought there is just
a child, but she calmed as soon as she eared how the cats spit each other, what
children do not know how to do. Probably, the relationships with the cats from
neighbouring are not always the best.
The best of them has the head black, feet
white, tail striped and back a multicoloured palette from light-brown to
dark-grey. She walks like a painting in a showing room, moved by someone for
being seen by all the people.
Usually, Miky stays at home. When Anastasia
leave with him, she carries him in her hands. She always has a les, but do not
want him to walk on the street; he would make dirty his paws. Only when she
goes to a friend, she let him down. If she says him “Cati cato” (sit down), he
stay there up till she take him in hand. Few days ago, he stayed five hours
without moving. If she says “Agapi mu” (my love), not matter where he is, jumps
and come to lick her on the face. You see, he is an intelligent dog, not a
stupid cat.
· *
*
-
I hope we go by the tram, not by one of those
infect and crowded busses. You cannot breathe there. And if a woman making a
fuss, you will want to have been got out at the previous station.
o
Keep quiet; we will go by tram.
-
I am glad. I like these Italian trams. They are
clean and air conditioner just runs. Even the passengers behave different.
Seemingly you are in other country. Do we go up till the end?
o
Yes. From there, we have to go other tree of
four stations. We will take a bus or trolleybus, depending which one will come
sooner.
In the station of the tram
-
It’s odd; there is nobody in the station.
o
It’s clear! They have written on this panel:
strike 24 hours.
-
You see, if we do not watch the TV? We would
learn in time and did not make plans.
o
O.k. You found a reason to watch the TV. You
know I do not like it. You wanted to say that we would some different plans.
And now, what plan do you have?
-
I come back home. What plan? I have a lot of
work to do. I am sorry to interrupt them.
o
I would try to go. I promised to participate.
-
And how do you arrive there?
o
I should take a taxi, but it seems they make
strike too. I did not see any passing by. Maybe someone will give me a lift.
-
Try it. I come back. See you!
o
See you!
Kostas is sorry being late at the literary
circle, as punctuality is, in his opinion, one of the main attributes of the
civilized man. Still, he hopes to catch the main part. As for Greeks the
punctuality is something about which they do not like to hear, he has just great
chances. He has the excuse of the strike, about which he did not know. He
learnt only in the station. He was lucky that someone took him with his car.
Otherwise, it would impossible for him to arrive. By tram he would need a half
of an hour. On foot he never tried, but two hours would be a minimum necessary.
It would be too much for the driver to carry him up till the destination.
Still, he left him close to the centre. Further on, he must walk. He has just
passed by the Syntagma Square. To arrive here, he passed between “Olympeion”
and “Zappeion”, then about the Central Park, till the building of the
Parliament. The columns of the temple of Zeus-Olympian looked stone-still the
sky, as if they were wondering “What happened with us?”. Till here, the road climbed
a little, he walked fast and began to pant. From here on, the slop is
descendent, which is very well, as he does not want to perspire and to draw the
attention of those in the others in this way. He wants to enter as discrete as
possible. As he will not be present for the beginning is not a tragedy; he is
not among the important members of the circle. The most of old members hardly
know him after those two of his previous participations. Now, he is trying a
moment of satisfaction: the route traversed always placed him. About Zappeion
does not know much, but Olympeion and Central Park are able to delight anyone.
The first is a page of history: the temple of Zeus Olympian and Hadrian’s Arch.
From the temple remained only few columns, but they are excellent put in value
by the architects of the city. You do not need to come close. From the
distance, they are just more impressive. The distance and environment –
vegetation and a small church, the perspective of Acropolis and Lykavittos hill
(it depends of what angle you look) – make the landscape more mysterious. As
for the Central Park, this is an exceptional oasis of silence in the middle of
the uproar, created by the traffic. He fully tasted it more times, when some
works obliged him to walk long distances through the centre of the city.
He is passing by the front of the University.
Here learnt the grandfather and grand-grandfather. The mother does not escape
an opportunity to remind him, every time when they pass by the front of the
University. As it is expected, there are several statues here. All Athens is
full of statues of the gods and mythological heroes. The most imposing is, of
course the Athena’s one, on the fronton of the building. Down, there are those
of the philosophers. Among them, more modest, that of the Ioannis Antonios
Kapodistieas, the founder of the University, is really specific for the place.
He is sitting on a chair, with the left hand leaning upon a book. It seems he
was a handsome man. The statue could represent him standing up.
After Omonia Square, the elegant atmosphere of
the town disappears. One says that, today, after the built the metro station,
the square looks well. I cannot realize how it was before it. It is the space
of the merchants of second and third hand. The Patission Avenue is the next on
which he must walk. In its first part is called “28 October”, the day when
Greece said NOT to Mussolini, refusing the crossing of the Italian army through
Greece. It is not clear in which direction he wanted to cross Greece, but the Greeks
are proud with their refuse, though it cost them the tragedies of the Second
World War. It was useless, as Greece was not an important strategic objective
for anyone of the combatants.
A pleasant opening is the building of the
Museum of Archaeology. He should visit it one day. He proposed this many time,
but other things were more urgent. There are so many museums in Athens. In one
of them – he forgot its name – there are some antic statues that preserved the
original colours. He is curious to see them, though is convinced they could not
be nicer. Only white, as they look like today, they are elegant and underline
the statue as it.
He passed by “Pedion Areos Gardens”. Finally,
he arrived! Breath deeply, to can enter calm in the room. He only must climb
upstairs at the first floor.
STUPOR !
There are only a few persons in the room,
insufficient to begin. If the strike made him to be late, though he come from
the distance, the other abandoned, even if they live closer, would come by
their own cars or even on foot. But they supposed the majority will not come
and this will be an argument not to come. Were they more intelligent? It seems
yes, but they proved in this way their lack of the interest for changing ideas
with others.
Those who came are talking in small groups. On
literary or artistic topics? No ! Daily trivialités. In a corner, some of
them are amusing.
-
Pascal’s assertion that man would be a thinking
reed is of good or bad?
o
I think it was for bad at the beginning. He
thought that man, like the reed, bents according with the direction of the
wind. Later on, as this is not just honourable, he thought to soften the phrase
and added the word “thinking”.
-
I do not know where he saw a reed that thinks.
o
He wanted to say that man thinks as much as a
reed.
-
Natural, if you think that God made the man
with what it remained after he created all the others beings, plants and so on.
§
In my opinion, what rises the man above the
other animals was speaking.
·
First, the biped position was.
§
So it’s said, but it is not sure this was the
chronology, and anyway, the great jump the speaking was.
o
If the feet are the owners of the intelligence,
the myriapods should be the most intelligent.
·
It is not too late.
§
The biped position, not the number of legs. The
fact that he rises from four on two.
o
That is inverse: the number of legs harm to
intelligence. Then, the birds are on a superior level of the evolution.
-
There were not the gooses those who saved Rome?
§
I was speaking seriously.
-
This is your guiltiness. You were speaking about
speech.
§
Speech means communication, and the animals
communicate very well.
o
Just better then men. They understand each
other. As a proof, we try to make them to understand us, because it is clear we
are not able to understand them.
§
On cannot talk seriously with you.
-
Say that you want to speak and we listen. O.
k., speak! Say what you want to say. I see there is not another way for us.
§
I said that speech contributed in the highest
grad to . . .
-
To men’s domestication.
§
Not. To their evolution . . . though, in a
certain measure, maybe you are right.
-
You remember the adage “We will never know how
much the dogs, through their love and devotion, contributed to the men’s
taming.
§
What I want to say is just the speech is that
that destroys us.
-
The philosopher came out from you. Yes, any
good idea becomes bad through exaggeration. This is you wanted to say?
o
You have started to think. Yes, in animals, for
example, the natural selection has specific criterion: force, beauty etc. The
peacock swaggers for impressing the peahen, the lion fight for the territory
and so on. The man, who is an animal too, has instincts but, through speech, he
denaturised his behaviour. The women, for example, talk about the fashion. But
they talk each other and have created their criteria, according their taste,
irrespective the men’s one.
-
Keep quiet. The instincts are stronger. The
fashion will never be a criterion for selection. Any man is interested in what
is under the clothes. The women do not realize the ridicule of the fashion not
even when it is disadvantageous for them.
§
This is exactly what I want to say: through
speech they deviate from the main target.
·
You are right here. Every woman would know hot
to underline her qualities and grow dim her flaws.
o
And the main flaw for most of them is to obey
to the fashion even when it disadvantages them.
-
Well, the fashion was only an example. The same
happens in other fields, more important: philosophy, literature, arts,
politics, almost everywhere.
o
I knew we will arrive at politics.
§
Not, because he is a philosopher.
·
Worse.
-
You laugh, but it is real what I say.
They are amusing but, after the effort to come
and discontent to find the room almost empty, Kostas has not good humour for
their jokes any longer. In another corner, they discuss, of course, politics.
These ones have not at least humour. Lamenting is only what they know. Instead,
they are full of importance, shudder, each one thinks to be in possession of
the truth, only the politicians are incompetent, with one exception – different
from one speaker to the other – and, of course, the banks and European Union,
which claim for Greece to pay its duties, already reduced many times. Their
agitation is now amplified by the coming parliamentary elections. In the same
day will be a new moon, Kostas thinks. The parliament will be a new one. Like
the moon: the same, but with some parts of them lighted and many others in
shadow, for a while. The Eternal Returning is a natural circle, since the world
and earth. Sorry, not the earth! Only the world and not just for the beginning;
only since the philosophers invented the syntagma “Eternal Returning”. Since we
turn ourselves from on size to the other, maybe we will rest better. Have a
pleasant rest, good people! God is watching. We will see again at the Final
Judgement. Maybe, the Final Judgement already occurred and what happens today
are its consequences. For the time being, as I said, God is watching not to
happen to you what you want, as you do not know what to want. For the moment! I
am optimist. One day you will know. Pay attention, not when it is full moon.
Then, one knows, you cannot sleep well and, with the mind tireless, you will be
wrong again. One says that, if you put your hand on the money when you see the
new moon, you will have a lot of money in the following period. Unfortunately,
the new moon cannot be seen, because just then it is close to the sun. “Sic
trasit loria mundi!”
Is there anything else here? Yes, in another
corner, three elder gentlemen are chatting discretely. One of them tells
something.
-
Some years ago, I was crossing a very nice
area, through the mountains. At that time, that aria was unknown by the
tourists. (Today, you must reserve room if you want to stay overnight.) We – my
wife and I – new married, had just bought a small car, a FIAT 850 second hand.
With us were my sister with her husband with a Renault 10 and another family of
friends. I do not remember what car they had. Anyway, it was one as modest as
ours. We all were young, the mountains look splendid, the weather excellent, so
we changed our minds: instead of crossing the mountains, as we thought at the
beginning, we decided to stay overnight in a village, situated in the highest
point of the road, on a saddle between two mountains. The evening was setting
in. Hardly we found someone willing to house us, of course, paying for it.
People from there were not used with the tourist and looked at us, as we were
some curiosities.
o
Maybe they would had lodged you for a night in
a shed, if you had been some poor men. Coming in cars and ready to pay for it
was something new and odd for them.
-
Exactly. A short and very quick woman accepted
our offer. I do not remember where was her husband, if there was one; anyway,
none men were there. The house, big and nice, was near the road, on an inclined
slope, with a lawn in front. The single pretension of the woman was to put the
cars in front on the house, on the lawn. Three cars into line on an inclined
plane look like in an exhibition, especially because the road had a curve, so
they were visible from the distance. After we fulfilled her desire, the woman
was as proud as I nobody ever seen. She had two rooms for quests and offered
them to us.
§
Any peasant house has a room kept clean for
possible guests.
·
There, they deposit the more valuable objects,
children’s dowry, the objects without a daily utilisation. Guests could be the
children left in other localities, who come to see their parents, grandchildren
or other relatives. Not for foreigners.
o
Sometimes they remain uninhabited forever.
-
This house had two such rooms, just good for
the six of us.
o
You had luck to find a woman with opened mind.
-
Yes, we were lucky. The surprise came the next
day. We asked for one or two litres of milk. She was glad to offer us, but
claim for it an exorbitant price. After I close my mouth – opened with
amazement – I thought: here is what is to be isolated. As we offered money for
something she was not expected to receive, for the milk, which she used to
sell, she asked a price 100 (one hundred) times greater.
§
It’s clear! For her, you were people that could
be speculated. And did you pay for it?
-
We were naives, but not so stupid.
With the fright to be inopportune, Kostas
plucked up courage and intervened in the talking, though he was much younger
then the others.
-
Let me tell you a recent happening, not from
the previous century and not from the county, but from here. Just this morning,
at a corner of a street, an old woman was selling some fruits and vegetables.
By curiosity, I asked how much is one kilo of mandarins. She said me a price
four times greater that from the market.
o
She saw you are a stranger and thought she
could deceive you.
-
But I am not a stranger; I am Greek.
o
You are not a Greek. You do not speak like a
Greek.
-
I am a Greek, but I spent my childhood in the
United States.
o
One can see it. I guessed you. But you are
right; this is the mentality of the Greek merchant.
It is true, in Greece, the idea to deceive even
your friend is not blameable, and the friend is not angry, as he would do the
same. And if was deceived, he appreciates the keenness of the one who deceived
him and proposes to himself to do the same next time. It is like in a game, and
he hope in a return match. Unfortunately for them, such “games” are do not work
in advanced societies. A businessman who deceives his partners goes out from
the world of business, when the others learn he is incorrect. Is it good?
Maybe! Still, in the same modern world, the real games became business.
Important is to respect the rules of games.
Another gentleman, who kept silence till then,
was visible worried, because the chat was turned from his preferred subject.
-
As I said, this democracy, which enters in the
mind of all imbeciles, existed in the spirit of the Greeks neither for
yesterday, nor since the Christianity; nor even since Plato. It existed as
early as in our Mythology, but not so generalized, as every dawdler has the
right to pronounce in questions over his understanding.
o
Democracy means equality; and if the equality
is real, it means all the people to steal equally.
-
People protest because some ones steal more the
others.
§
With the Greeks things are a little more
complicated. Some people can be accused of duplicity, because something think
and something else do. The Greeks can be accused of triplicity: they something
think, something else say and nothing do.
·
I agree with what you said, Iorgos, but I did
not understand the allusion to Mythology. Can you do more explicitly? I know
you are an expert in this.
-
I referred to the mythological variant of the Deluge.
The survivor of the Deluge, Deucalion, after the withdrawing of the waters, on
his returning way from the Parnas Mountain, had a dream, in which he was
advised by the goodness Themis to throw behind all boulders he meet, as they
symbolise the bones of the grandmother Gaia, who is the earth itself. From
these boulders, men appeared. So, besides the natural followers of him and his
wife, Pyrrha – among them Helen, their first son, considered to be the ancestor
to the Greeks, the Hellens – a second category of people appeared, obviously
inferior.
o
The existence of two categories was explicable
for those times.
-
These two categories were simplistic
interpreted by the Marxists to be slaves and free men, because of the slave
system. But a slave could become free and a free man could become slave. The
following of those two categories after the Deluge could not change their
destine.
§
That’s true.
-
It’s about the people of two qualities. They
are born so and remain as they were born. The truth is, in the real world,
these categories exist, even if the limit between them is not accurately
traced. There are people born to lead the others, to create new values, to be
forwards in their epoch, and people born to be leaded.
§
Correct! The genius is born; this is not a trade
to learn in school.
-
„Fortuna no mutat genus”.
§
Maybe you will translate it for me. In school I
learnt Russian language, no Latin.
-
It is from Horatius: the fate doesn’t change
the genius.
o
he education, experience is added to the
initial dowry.
§
The ancient Greece had several geniuses. Maybe
other nations would have, but they did not know how to use them. The political
climate of Greece of other times allowed the cultivation the erudition and
arts.
·
I hope not to discuss to climate of today. I
feel repugnance at politics.
o
Even in our era, but some time ago, the Greeks
have spread throughout the world and people accepted them. They did not go with
army; they were common people, maybe merchant.
§
Most of them left to get rid of the poverty.
They went to work. Everywhere, they were welcome and appreciated.
-
Even if they were illiterate, they carried with
them the moral dowry, inherited from their ancestors. The poverty did not
diminish it.
o
Is this any connection with what occurs today?
o
You cannot refrain and enter politics. What did
not succeeded the poverty made the good life without work of the last years.
§
The way of thinking of the young people is
similar with that from a joke for children:
·
What is more important: the sun or the moon?
o The moon, because it light during the night, while the sun do it during
the day, when it is light anyway.
o
A good one! I did not know it.
o
Today, people are not pauper. They are poorer
than before. What that worry them is not the poverty, but the pauperisation.
§
And because of it, they talk and talk as much
as they little understand.
-
But for their ideas they would fight a duel as
some knights for the queen of France, but cannot because the Richelieu’s edict,
about which they did not hear.
o
The most of them not even about Richelieu.
As Kostas cannot refrain, he made the mistake
of entering in discussion.
-
You had accused people because they talk too
much, though they are uneducated. But you speak too. I do not say you are not
skilled, but when you talk about the economy of the country you make
philosophy. As I already said, I came from the United States and am graduated
in economy. Still, nobody asks me about my opinion on the crises.
o
America had its crises too.
-
From it, Greece did not draw any moral.
o
My dear, when you arrive at the age of metals,
you have few convictions.
-
I observed this. The meaning of the age of
metals is not clear for me.
o
We, these over the first youths have our jokes
as well. Well, the hair is silvery, teeth by gold and other metals, some rods
by steel instead of bones, possible a peacemaker at heart . . .
-
I understand.
He was tempted to say something about the head,
but he refrained. It was being not only impolitely, but other idea he had not,
so that the old people continued.
-
I do not know what you understand. When I was a
child, I thought that old people know everything. At that time, fifty years
seemed to me a Methuselahic age. Anyway, 989 years was an exaggeration. It
happened that, in the meantime I pass over this age (50, not 989) and notice
that I am not enough ripe of judgement for some things.
As any youth, Kostas does not like to be
subject of discussion, especially when elder people take him easy, so he took
advantage when these ones were bantering each other and left.
On the returning way, the subjects approached
by those old people were lingering in his mind yet, probably because they were
only touched and not really discussed. Among them, why the Greeks renounce so
abruptly at Mythology and adopted Christianity was one of his old dilemmas. He
was convinced now that Christianity has a Greek origin more than a Jewish one.
The influence of the Greek philosophy on the Jews was more then natural. They
were not only neighbours. After 332 BC, that is after Alexander Macedon’s
entering in Jerusalem, the Jews was under Greek rule up till 63 BC, when the
Romans occupied them. The Greeks could not accept the Judaism, due to its
nationalism. It is a pure Jewish invention. There is not other religion
speaking about a chosen nation. More that it, besides a chosen nation, they
speak about a messianic destine, waited with hate face to other nations and
with hope of the most terrible revenge. For increasing the satisfaction of the
revenge, they must cultivate the hate as deep as possible.
The Greeks could accept the Judaism; instead
the poor Jews accepted joyfully some Christian ideas. That of the chosen nation
was much less interesting, as the priests were ready to accept the co-operation
with the representatives of the Roman Empire. As a proof, they delivered Jesus
to the Roman soldiers for solving their problem.
For this, the Greeks needed to modified the
doctrine and eliminate the idea of chosen nation. The Apostle Paul, who studied
in Greece, did it.
· *
*
A pleasant surprise came from Ileana, the
Romanian lady who carried of Fotios. As she did not find a convenient job, she
renounces to work in Greece and returned in Romania. Now, she came in Athens
for several days, to solve some personal problems. She found Anastasia at her
old address, learnt she had moved, but none of the neighbours gave her a useful
piece of information. Fortunately, a saleswoman from a shop knew her telephone
number and so they met. Seeing each other again was a joy for both of them. She
is merry and a pleasant presence. She invited Anastasia in Romania, to visit
her and her family.
Why not? Here is an unexpected idea! And, as
good ideas must not postpone, they applied it immediately. It would have been
rather complicate by plane – reservation, there is not airport in her village
etc. – so thy chose to travel by bus. Ileana knows several Romanian companies
doing this service, as she experienced this mean of transport.
At the departure, the agitation of people for a
better place in the bus and the inefficient organization upset Anastasia. If
the places had been reserved, the squash would have been avoided. But, as soon
as the bus left, she recovered the trust. The bus is good and people relaxed.
From Bulgaria she had none impression, as the
crossed it during the night. At the customs, she dozed. What really waked her
up in the morning were the jolts of the car. They entered Romania. There were
some traces of the asphalt on the road, but they made the pits steeper. Without
the asphalt, on the earth, the ground would been smoother, only waved. After several
kilometres that seemed to be endless, the route became better, still far for an
international highway. She began to think the trip would be an adventure.
Easy-easy, they arrived in Bucharest. It was
difficult to make an opinion. They only crossed it. Elegant and miserable
districts alternate each other. One can see that the city was coquet in the
past. Nice houses were not maintained in good condition for many years. It is
clear they are not inhabited by those who built them. There is not the money that
lacked them. On the contrary, the courts are full of object new and old, threw
or deposited. What lacks them is the love for the house. Where sometimes were
beds of flowers, there are garbage now. The centre of the city is also a
mixture of old bad maintained buildings with some ultramodern ones by glass and
concrete, which make a discordant note with the old architecture, much nicer.
An exception is a new district of identical blocs of flats, at the end of which
the huge building of the parliament can be seen.
As soon as they got out from Bucharest,
everything is different. Suddenly, the route turned into a good highway. A
little far away some hills appear, followed by mountains, among which the way
winds gracefully. The landscape is beautiful. Through the windows of the car, a
castle like those from the books for children was to be seen. She was told
that, inside, it is more beautiful. Unfortunately, it could not be visited now.
Not only because the bus does not stop here, and the visit would last several
good hours. Maybe on the returning way.
Towards the evening, they arrived at the
destination. The travel lasted almost 24 hours, with small pauses at every four
hours.
The village in which Ileana’s family live is at
the foot of Fagaras Mountains, a chain of 80 kilometres a little over 2000
metres high. So they told her. She did not measure them.
The hosts were waiting for them with the table
full with all kind of food, particularly from meat. After a travel so long and
wearisome, she would preferred to sleep, but is not possible. Ileana’s parents
would feel offended. For welcome they received a small glass with a very strong
alcoholic drink, something like ouzo but less perfumed. She seemed the need to
eat something, but after it she received another glass of drink. Now, she was
not sleepy any longer. With the food was more difficult: much too much,
especially in that moment. But you could not explain to anyone. Ileana’s
parents did not know other language but the Romanian. Their smallest daughter
learns English in school, but her vocabulary is limited at the school
activities. The teachers did not prepare the children for real talks. She has
an elder brother who knows very well German language, but this one is totally
unknown to Anastasia.
The sleep was over, after the dance began. It
is a way of speaking dance. All people were cheer up due to the drink and now
they were hopping face to face, laughing at everything. Important was only the
atmosphere, and it was great.
They went to bed toward the morning and woke up
at noon, when the table was equally full as it was in the evening. The only
difference was a huge pot, from which a sweet-smelling steam was emerging. Of
course, it was the sour soup.
Before the lunch, Anastasia succeeded to make a
walk of reconnaissance around. The house is at the foot of the mountain, on the
bank of a river, upper from it with about 20 metres. Between the house and
river, they smoothed the ground and arranged there a nice garden of vegetables
and a small orchard.
In the last time, a part of the garden was
sacrificed for making room for a pool where hundred of trouts are ready to jump
on the table. The water is brought through a sewer 100 metres upstream from the
river. The river has much water throughout the year and the sewer has the debit
of a good brook. In the garden, the sewer looks like a picturesque brook,
without speaking about its utility.
A branch of the sewer supplies an electric
micro-hydro-central. With a small investment, they have free electric energy.
Such micro-hydro-centrals could be built at every 20 metres on all mountain
rivers, where diligent people are for maintain them. In this farm, people
proved this is possible.
More than it: though the sun shines here much
less than in Athens, these peasants invested in a solar panel for warm water.
The house has central heating with the energy supplied by their own
micro-hydro-central. To be sure, they preserved the connection at the national
net, but their consume is very little, sometime not at all.
A house apparently modest, from a modest
village, has the comfort that many pretentious others have not.
This mountain area is poor and offers few
opportunities. Consequently, people are not rich, but are hardworking.
· *
*
From Kostas’ diary
Do not give me
advices; I can mistake alone.
Some days ago, a new statue
was unveiled in Palaio Faliro, in front of the sea. Constantin Paleologul, the
last emperor of the Byzantine Empire is represented. I cannot say it would be
nice. Usually, the equestrian statues are more dynamic. This one is static,
very static. The rider keeps an arm up, as he wants to bless. I do not think he
wanted to bless the Turks. The horse seems to stop suddenly just in this
moment. He stays well stuck on the front feet. The position of the head says
that he will not go any longer. Maybe the rider wants it, but more probably the
horse wants to do something in very this moment. The position of the tail says
what he wants to do. Is this a way to illustrate how the Turks conquered
Constantinople?
Anyway, I like the idea of
rising monuments devoted to those who pointed the history of the country. Even
those of the kings, though the Greeks are allergic to the monarchy. For all
that, they respect the history, kings being part of the history. In Central Park,
some direction plates say that the park belonged to the former royal park, an
alley wears the name of the first king, Otto, and another of his wife, Amalia.
Though it is a German name, Amalia is usual now in Greece. The name of the
avenue in front of the park is also Amalia, as the hotel from the cross of the
street.
At the entrance of the
Pedion Areos Gardens the huge statue of the king Constantin guards.
On the Stadiou Avenue there
is a statue of someone with a helmet. I do not know who is the man.
Greece, a country of
contradictions
The drivers are very
politely and understanding each other and with the pedestrians as well. The
same men, out of the cars, as pedestrians, are churl. The men, not the women!
If two man meet in a narrow space, they laminate and pass simultaneously, as no
one want to yield. If a man and a woman meet in the same place, the woman
resigned waits until the cad will pass. Every time when I gave priority to a woman, I saw in her eyes that I
created her a joy, as she did not meet for long time, maybe never.
From the Occident, they
took the custom of walking the dogs on the streets. It offers good
opportunities for socializing, especially for women looking for a future
husband. But they do not conceive to clean the misery after them. They use the
walking for keeping the house clean, which is not at all civilized.
On the other hand, the
preoccupation for the vegetation is remarkable. In any day of the year there
are flowers on streets and balconies. It may me think that people are men with
sensibility. The flowers do not grow alone. They must be cultivated, which
implied work and money, namely exactly that lacks to the Greeks. But, for
flowers, they are ready to make sacrifices. This is not from Occident. In
Florida, the vegetation grows alone and people want to get rid of it. The
pleasure of admiring flowers belongs to the Greeks.
There are direction plates
on every corner with the name of the streets. Also, in every bus, tram and
trolleybus stations, there are plates even with their program. The
administration deserves our congratulations. Still, some people stick on them
all kind of notices, so that the initial text becomes unreadable. The authors
write there their address, so that they could be identified, but nobody punish
them.
The Greeks gesticulate a
lot when speaking. They do it even when speak at the telephone. This is why the
devices hands-free are very helpfully, as they could use the both hands. When
they walk it not always clear if they do jogging, speak at the mobile, or speak
alone (a frequent custom here).
Looking an object of
oriental art, for example, you appreciate its aesthetic qualities, but the
object is strange. Instead, a Greek temple, a statue or a simple object of
popular Greek art makes you to feel at home. Not in your apartment, but inside
you. The object represents you and you are inside it.
There are several
persons that do bathing in the sea every day, including winter. If it rains,
they shelter under a penthouse, or an umbrella, where they play backgammons,
eat, talk, or do nothing and, now and again enter the sea. Some of the one
time, others more times. Their daily program contains several hours at the
seaside, for some, almost all the day.
A lady of about 50
years old comes by bicycle, sign she live a little far away. Not very far, as I
saw her in the market of our district. She undresses under the open sky and
leave the clothes there. If it rains, she has a mantle and covers the clothes
with it. Anyway, they are wet even during she undresses. She makes a little
gymnastics, swims at least a quarter of an hour, runs on the sand, dresses and
leaves by bicycle. On the bottom half of her body has a suffering, visible when
she runs. All time she is alone. Rarely I saw her speaking a few words with other
people.
Aphrodite appeared from the
foam of the sea, but not the foam created her. The sea did it, and not alone,
but fertilized by the sky, through the Uranus’ penis, threw there by Chronos,
after he had cut it from him. The sky and the sea coupled for creating the
symbol of the beauty.
When Zeus and Hera
embrace each other a storm will be in the Universe. Today it rained
torrentially after a strong storm. Nobody knows this couple would make children
in the last time. Probably they are too old. Consequently, it rained vainly.
Oh, no! It was not vainly. It washed the sidewalks, making what the cad people
did not: removed the dejections of the dogs.
I learnt: on Stadoiu
Avenue, there is the statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis. He was not a king, but field-marshal
in the Greek army, during the War of Independence.
I am looking at the
balconies of the buildings in front of me. They have racks for laying out to
dry the underclothes mounted on the balustrades. The underclothes hang
outwardly, although there are mobile racks in the shops, which can be installed
anywhere inside. From some balconies, the bed-sheets hang over the windows of
the inferior floor. I am wondering how is the Greeks, - hot-blooded and
petulant – are tolerant face to the lack of civilisation of their neighbours?
The only explanation is they are people of the same kind, proceed in the same
way and dare not to reprimand their neighbours. The few others are in minority
and must endure.
They probably were
inspired from the Italian movies, but they omitted the cineastes used such
images for suggesting the place of the action: a suburb, populated by people
without education. My Greeks would not be happy at the idea they have
mentalities of people from slums, but this is the situation.
That’s why the
Americans do not put windows at the high buildings. Only glass, which cannot be
open. From a block with over 100 floors, someone would throw something through
the window in every minute. The streets would need net for protection the
passer-bys.
Walking through
different districts of Athens, you have the sensation of crossing different
towns, even different epochs. Not only because of streets and buildings. This
happens in most old towns. In Athens, the inhabitants are different. In old
districts, the autochthonous population of Greece, with short people, prevails.
The men are more vigorous. The old women walk with difficulty; they have
infirmities in the lower part of the body. Most of the young women are terrible
fat. If you ever thought knowing everything about the fat man, now you learn
that you knew nothing. On says about the Americans are fat. It is true, but
they are tall, and the supplementary kilograms are distributed. At one and half
metre – sometimes even less – several added kilograms turns the body into a
balloon. This is a happy case. Sometimes, the number of the kilograms is much
more. The result is a mass of grease. The skin hardly can keep it inside and
you expect to split in any moment. When this mass begins to move, you must look
in other direction. It is unbelieving, but what seemed to be a balloon is a
human being. The image is terrible.
How they arrived in
such bad plight I do not know. The simplest explanation is a combination
between laziness and good food, with which their ancestors were not used. It
would be a wrong treatment during their childhood, when the parents wanted they
to be tall but, instead of high, the diameter increased. I have compassion for
them, but the gluttony cannot be eliminated. It is visible at most of them.
They eat at a single meal more than me in the whole day. And they have at least
four meals a day. It would expected that, between the meals to do some
movement. Not at all. They stay in the cafés, where … taste something, usual
sweet. When they talk – though usually sleepy – the preferred subject is “what
to eat for grow weaker.
But I wrote about
the fat women and forgot where I left from: about districts. Glyfada and Voula
are two snob districts on the seaside. There live rich people, many foreigners.
Forests of masts of the luxurious boats occupy the most part of the littoral.
There is nothing Greek there. Kifisia is another luxurious district, at the
opposite end of the town, toward the airport. There are also people with money
there.
Still, I like Palaio
Faliro. There are many Greeks here, came from other countries, where their
parents mixed with other people and made children taller, some of them even
blond. There are such exemplars in other districts, especially in central ones,
like Kolonaky, but there are ambassadresses, banks, the Parliament there. Some
of them come in Palaio Faliro to make jogging on the seaside. Some people make
jogging by bicycles. They come with them by tram, bus or cars and run here.
Besides the bicycles and more important than it is the equipment, like that of
the professionals. The most amusing was a little girl of 3-4 years old by
child’s scooter and helmet. There is a place for all the people: old and young,
lovers, young mothers, fathers or old grandparents pushing prams, people of all
ages making jogging, all you want. You feel here like in a resort in every day
of the year. During the summer, there are some tourists, but the area is
equally full with the inhabitants of the district. Piraeus looks very nice in
the night, with its lights reflected in the water of the sea.
Christmas is after
the corner. On many balconies appeared Santa Clauses in different position,
suggesting that he is coming with presents for children and is ready to enter
through the window. It’s nice.
A lady said that
Greek people do not give much importance to the Christmas, as some customs are
of German origin. They wait for the New Year.
Choosing 25 December
as day of Christos’ birth is a compromise between the Christians and the adepts
of the cult of sun. The emperor Constatin the Great himself, the first one who
accepted the Christianity in Roman Empire, was an adept of this cult, in which
Mithra, the god of the light, the “Invincible sun”, was born from a stone on 25
December. He fought with the sun and captured the divine bull. From the blood
of the bull the plants and animals useful for the man appeared. Crossing the
sky, Mithra see and hear everything, as he has 10,000 eyes and 1000 ears. He is
armed with a bludgeon and drives away the demons (clouds) with it.
We must make
distinction between faith, religion, church and the priest. Faith belongs to
the individual and depends on his personality. Every man must believe in
something. Religions are attempts of answering to peoples need to believe and
depend of the society in which they were born and their historic evolution. The
church is a social organization of a religion. It is an institution. The priest
is a person as any person. The relationship between a priest and the
parishioners depends on his culture and talent for this profession.
The need of
believing is natural. It will exist forever and, through it, the religions.
People need a
psychological support, a motivation for their struggle for living.
A divinity is like
the sun. He gives us without pretend something for us. It is our problem if we
are able to use his gifts. If we stay too long under the sunlight, is possible
to suffer unpleasant consequences. Also, trying to join with God, may be
similar with the wish to move our house in the sun. We would burn before
arriving there.
Religion
is like a window nice coloured. From this reason, it is not transparent, any
longer. There is nothing to see through it.
It’s a day of spring
on 1 January. Lots of people are at the seaside, walking through fresh air and
sun. Some ambitious persons are swimming in the sea. Unlike Miami, where is
humid, and New York, where is cold, in Athens is dry and warm.
While I was walking,
I met an elder family, my mother’s friends. They live some block upper. He is a
Greek from the children refugee in Romania because of the Civil War. Unlike the
majority of such people, who has communist opinions, he is an intelligent and
equilibrated man. I did not hear him saying their standard phrases. Odd enough,
more dashing is his wife, Athenian by birth – she affirms it – though seems
more rural.
I told them that
last night, just before twelve o’clock, I came here, at the seaside, to see the
fireworks and the joy with which people enter the New Year. In Omonia, where I
was several years ago, it was very nice. The city was bathing in the light of
the artifices, the streets were full of people of all colours from all
continents. After a small joke of him (The sparks, not matter how many, do not
give light), they said how people from the New York celebrate the New Year in
Time Square. They watched it at the TV. I answered that there is not fireworks
to see there, because of the high buildings and the crowd in Time Square is
terrible. You must come much earlier for penetrating there. But, the joy of
people, high spirits, maybe the drink, makes an atmosphere that compensates any
effort. In Miami, the fireworks were beautiful, but there were not people on
the streets. Here, in Palaio Faliro, I was expected to find both fireworks and
merry people. There were nothing from these. I was extremely disappointed. The
streets were deserted. Even the restaurants were closed. Only at distance, in
Piraeus and from several ships some artifices were launched at twelve o’clock.
As for the people, I met only a group of six young boys and girls, speaking an
unknown language. She explained the fear of burglars is the cause. People stay
in houses to guard it. I thought to say the joke with what some people do when
they have nothing to do. (They undress and guard their clothes.) Of course, I
refrained. The gentleman helped me: in Romania, I heard a adage: “you was
sleeping with the purse with money under the head and was afraid not the steal
yourself”.
Anyway, the lady’s
argumentation cannot be true. Maybe it works for old people. The majority of
those walking on the streets and launch artifices are young people, some
adolescents.
Soto voce, hoping
that his wife will not hear, he opened his heart saying that one of those six
youths I saw last night was their son, along with his friends.
In front of me,
there are about twenty pigeons pecking grains. One of them does not eat. He is
preoccupied to draw away the others. The ones threatened by him fly one or two
metres and continue to peak. He chose another victim and so on. Grains are a
lot and on large surface. I do not know why Picasso chose them as symbol of
peace. The pigeons fight each other pitilessly. Even if there are grains enough
for one hundred years to food all pigeons in the world, there is one who wants
to keep all grains only for him. On the other hand, they make couples for life.
My mother and father
are Greeks. Both of them kept Greek nationality, though the were educate in the
United Kingdom, received English citizenship and then the American one. O was
born in Australia, but spent my childhood and received American citizenship.
Still, I considered to be a Greek and Greece was for me an ideal, the country
that spread the culture in the Europe and, via Europe to America. I was proud
to be a Greek and, sometime I probably was exaggerated with my classmates: “we,
the Greeks, made you what you are.” Now, I am a Greek from Greece. Still, I am
not adapted, yet. Each time when I want to do something as I used to do in the
State, I learn that it is not possible. Greece is different. And this occurs in
the simplest situations. In those more complicated things can be just grave. In
economic problems, I am confused. I am graduated just in economics. What Greece
does in economy is exactly the opposite with what I think it ought to do. There
is not a single economic doctrine, beginning with that of the Adam Smith and
ending with the most modern ones for what the Greek economists do. K.K.E., the
Greek Communist Party, speculate the “democratic” inclinations of the Greeks,
stirs them, provoking anarchy. There are many people with communist
conceptions, but Marxist doctrine was only a propagandistic support for the
former communist regimes. Its only purpose is the instigation of the mob
against the leaders of the society. If Marx was a philosopher, he was the first
that built a doctrine based on hate and crime. He appreciated that, in full
development of the industry, the worker will be the majority and they will lead
the society. The idea was stupid; they are not a majority even today; on the
contrary, modern industry needs less and less workers. In the past the farmers
were in majority, but they never leaded the society. What it counts is not the
number of those who could be rallied, but the idea that rallies.
Still, there is an
optimistic variant: my opinions are naïve, as I have not enough experience.
Nothing is lost;
everything is mislay.
From the morning I
look for a paper on which I put down something and I do not find it. It is not
lost; I am sure for it. Nobody handles among my things and I do not throw but
the very old ones, after a rigorously checking, making at least a copy.
Maybe the assertion
from the beginning of this note is not just original. It looks like with the
principle Lavoisier-Lomonosov. This one was not original too. Ovidius did it
also in “Metamorphoses”: Omnia mutantur, nihil interit” (Everything changes,
nothing is lost). The old Greeks used to say: “Nothing is born from nothing;
everything become from something existing before”. In oriental religions, there
is the principle of successive reincarnations. But first, the man felt from the
Universe and finally he will return there. So, nothing is lost.
In comparison with
these principles, mine is more general. That’s why I think that, if
Lavoisier-Lomonosov became the principle number one in thermodynamics, mine
would be principle number zero. If its value is zero too, it means that I
reached the perfection.
Maybe until tonight
I will find the paper.
Speaking with the
neighbour next door, an old Greek gentleman, about the plumber who is to make a
common reparation, he asked me if he is a Greek. My positive answer
disappointed him.
The difference
between religions is not some simplicity ones, like mono, bi, tri or polytheist.
The criterions are subtler. Also, their born is not linked but symbolical with
a name, like Buddha, Akhenaton, Jesus, Mohamed or anyone other. As for Jesus,
he never wanted to produce a schism inside the Judaism. He only wanted to
correct the bad behaviour of the priests. There were Christian ideas before him
and other ones appeared after him. The Christianity as we understand now is a
complex of ideas formed in time. The religion, philosophy, people’s mentalities
continuously evolve and influence reciprocally.
Shakespeare is great
not because he put the question “To be or not to be”, but because he was se
clever not to give the answer.
The Greek, if he
does not know, he confabulates. He never says, “I do not know”.
-
The helicopters and jet planes, though have different
propulsions, utter a similar noise.
-
The air cries, feeling struck.
· *
*
-
Were you sleeping?
o
You have just interrupted me by reading. I was
dreaming to read.
-
Was nice your dream?
o
It was about a perfect society.
-
Then, I did a good deed waking you up.
o
Wait a little.
That is…, let me see what I thought sleeping.
-
The sleep of ration birth monsters.
o
Look! Theft, swindle, corruption and all the
others are universal temptations. But they are possible only where the society
is permissive. In small rural traditionally localities, the public opinion is
strong and hinder people from doing bad actions. There, because everything is
open, the shame is a curb.
-
How do you know how it is in the villages? You
never lived there.
o
I know. From literature, from movies. At the
opposite pole, in the large urban agglomerations, the civilisation could work,
but the reality proves this solution is not viable. Only the fear of law could
work, but again we see this one does not work.
-
The modern justice is based on a code of laws
that must be perfect and the judges, like computers, apply it. Of course,
nothing is perfect, but is perfectible.
o
It would be great, if it not be a utopia. The
“dictatorship of law”, implying a perfect code of laws, is like the communist
society, with central planned economy.
-
I think the best solution does not have to deal
with the justice. Now, stand up! We have work today.
· *
*
Some days ago, at a café, Miky jumped from
Anastasia’s hands and run to smell the dog of a gentleman, talking with a
friend. It was a nice dog, with a clean wait fur, much too big – almost huge –
for Miky, a small jewel of twenty centimetres, Yorkshire terrier. Miky had not
interest for the muzzle of the other dog; he only wanted to smell his back.
Unfortunately for him, this one was too high. He had to stand up on the back
feet, but this was not enough, so he must spring up. He was very amusing as he
was hopping. From time to time, he turned his head toward Anastasia, barked
short and hopped with more élan. All people around, clients and passing-bys,
were amusing by looking at him. Mike was applauded at open stage.
-
You speak about people’s sentiment as regards
the animals. I still have in memory a case, as I lived it. Many years ago, in
the building cross the street from our block of flats, a family of old people
lives. For not spoil those few beds of flowers and vegetables, they kept the
dog that they had – an old one – in a fold of 2 x 1.5 metres. During the
nights, the dog used to yelp at every 30 seconds. It was lugubriously. The
owner, probably with a weak hearing, did not care for us. Our nights became
sinister. Finally, the dog died, but after few days their son brought another
don. This one was young, so we had silence for several years, but, in time, the
dog started to yelp almost in the same way, proving that the conditions was
guilty. I do not know what happened on, as we moved from there.
o
Even the dogs can fall ill with asthenia, if
they are human condition of life.
-
Yes, I knew this joke. The assertion “The man
can make sick with asthenia even a dog” is more true, unfortunately.
o
I have a memory with people, not with animals.
It was not a dog, but a child. It was summer and someone used to put a child
under one year on a blanket on the lawn in the back of our block of flats. She
leaved him there alone without any supervision. He was not able to walk, so he
was condemned to stay there, on the blanket. The area was safe, but the child
was alone. He yelped like the dog about you said, also at every 30 seconds. The
only difference was the sound: something like with a “mama”.
-
I am cannot comment on this subject. It breaks
my heart. Sometimes the men are not human.
-
It seems that ouzo makes me stupid.
o
I think the contrary; it makes you clever, as
you have just found it.
-
Ah, what a necklace has you dog! There is even
a cross hanging from it. Is it baptized?
o
Do not be acrimonious. Pay attention, Anastasia
could hear you. It is her present.
-
Is its birthday?
o
It is the child of Dixi, her dog.
-
Not Miki’s?
o
No, Miki is a boy. Dixi is a girl. She gave it
me as a present, but she loves it, as it would be her any longer.
-
Yes, her love for animals really is formidable.
o
As soon as she sees this ugly one, kiss him
everywhere, from head to back.
-
You must not judge her too hard. She has to
love someone.
o
You are right! Anastasia’s behaviour might seem
odd, but she must be understood. Someone who never was caress, comfort, did not
receive presents but some insignificant ones in childhood, feel the need of
doing for others what nobody did for her. And now, at her age, instead of
people did it with animals. Her sentiments did not blunt. On the contrary, they
are amplified now. Looking her the way in which she caresses the dog (Miki mu,
agapi mu), you understand there is nothing formal; there are her authentic
sentiments, very strong. It is impressive that the animals answer in the same
way. I never saw two persons with the same sentiments.
-
About the lovers of animals, they said that
they have not a surplus of love for animals, but a need of love from the others
toward them. They do not keep any animals, but only those who can be trained to
manifest attachment face to the one who caress and give them food. These people
need to be loved by others. There is not the love for animals, but the need to
be loved.
o
This is what Anastasia did not enjoy to have.
It would seem natural to think that people who
had a happy childhood and good health at the shelter and protection of some
loving parents will become at their turn generous and good with those around
them. Also, we find excuses for those with a different fate. We forgive them
misdeeds, avarice, the lack of scruples and others like these, thinking their
unhappy childhood was the cause. He must struggle for his rights and the
struggle renders him grim, formed his character. Sometime so it occurred, but
not always.
Anastasia is the opposite example. She was
almost blind by birth and need long treatments for see, never good enough. He
was directed to sports, for which she had some physic qualities, but an
accident – due to the weak eyesight – her evolution stopped. Her first dream
felt suddenly. If her father gave her some attention, her mother was lacking of
maternal instinct. She never smiled to the child and, instead of caresses, she gave
her several slaps every day. Probably she did not want this child. After a
childhood in tears, she spent the adolescence abroad, among the strangers, in a
boarding school for foreign children with problems. Her problem was the
eyesight; the others’ were graver. She was married without been asked. It’s
true, the husband was handsome, graduated, but he never loved her. He had many
gallant relationships before the marriage and much many after. They were within
an ace for divorce several times. Before the accident, he lived with one of his
former secretary more than his wife and the separation was imminent.
For all that, she care of her husband with all
attention, loves their children, educated them and is known as a generous
person; she intuits the others’ needs and help with what she thinks it would
useful for them. She did not give money to the beggars, especially the minors;
this would be a gesture of hypocrisy, even harming for the future of a child.
She helps the active ones, wants to improve their life when they cross a
difficult period.
There are enough arguments for demonstrating
that the assertion according with a happy childhood models a generous man and
reciprocal is not true in all cases. Anastasia’s case shows that, on the
contrary, an unhappy childhood made the child more sensitive, looking with
condescendence the others’ troubles, has understanding and to help them.
Axel Muntel, in “The book from Sant Michele”,
relates the assertion of a beggar, according with the poor Italians are the
most generously, unlike the rich ones, from which he receives nothing.
Maybe, sometimes, Anastasia was wrong. Anyone
can be culprit or innocent in some cases. The pretension of being absolutely
innocent is graver than some accidental guiltiness, especially when they were
made unwillingly. That’s so, because the intention is first. The one who
proposed to himself to be innocent, first he thought the bad, but refrained to
do it. The one good intentioned never thought to make a bad deed.
The criteria, according with we judge, are
different from a person to the other. That’s why, we can be wrong. Here is an
example. The similarity between dolphin and stark seems to be greater than
between dolphin and mouse. This is true, if we have not in view Linné’s
classification of the species, according with the dolphin and mouse are mammals
(viviparous) and the shark is fish (oviparous). Of course, Linné could find
other criteria. If he had, we do not?
In her mature life, Anastasia remember many
times a fable learnt as a child. She did not deeply understand then its moral.
Maybe this is the reason she kept the fable in memory. In the meantime, she
applied it many times. Here is the fable. One day, a peasant’s donkey felt in a
well. As the donkey was very old and the well was dried and must fill up, the
peasant thought to do it just now. As it is not useful to try to get out the
donkey he will do two things in the same time, burring the donkey and fill up
the well. So he begins to throw earth in the well. But, at every shovel of earth,
the donkey shook the earth from his saddleback and stepped on it. Easy-easy, he
got out.
Maybe, life will throw on you with all kind of
troubles. The secret is to shake on them and go on. Life deserves to be lived,
not matter how we think it would be, bad or good.
Anastasia’s weak eyesight made her parents and
those around her to consider she has a handicap and, consequently, without
perspectives and cancelled any possibility of affirmation. Nothing more false!
In reality, Anastasia is a clever woman and her handicap enhanced her mind. In
spite of her bad lucks, she did not let herself defaced.
Although later, the fate smiles to Anastasia.
Besides the insurance received from the U.S.A., she inherited other estates
from her parents and relatives, so that, now, she is, if not a rich woman, at
least one without financial problems. Of course, she is proud of her wealth and
displays it ostentatiously. Still, on her face one could read the discontent of
a life without soul satisfactions. Kostas has his family, so she sees him
fleeting. Nicky is in Cyprus. Fotios is alive, but he is a vegetal more than a
man. “Odiseu” came back not with his shield and spear in hands, but carried by
hand by Anastasia. The shield and spear were, this time again, in the hands of
the woman. Athena, the goddess of intelligence and skill, warfare, battle
strategy, handicrafts and wisdom is represented with shield and spear. Yes, the
wisdom must be defended. It does not impose by itself; it is vulnerable.
How love appeared, we do not know, but we
pretend to know. According with a known myth, the divinity made man without
sex. From some uncertain reasons, he cut it in two and, since then, those two
halves seek for each other without find. It is the myth of the android. It
explains the desire. So, for it we have an explanation. Not for the love. When
the mother of Bulă (a fictive personage in Romanian jokes, symbolising a
stupid man) asked to her husband to make sexual education to their son – but in
a delicate way, with examples from vegetal and animal world, as he is a
sensible child - the father, after one
of their usual visits in a brothel, said to him: “Well, my son, learn from me
that in animals and even vegetables it is the same”. Of course, there are other
explanation as well, not much different. And still, the reproduction of the
trees, for example, is not by kernels or fruits, but through the flowers. It is
there where the two sexes are to be found and, maybe their love, the one that
we try to understand with rational means.
About the kindness we are poor in myths. How
much truth is in the assertion “man is born good, but the life makes him
wicked”? The first characteristic of every being is the instinct of survival.
The man is born as a fighter; the struggle for life is his characteristic. Good
or ill nature – as we define them in the world nicknamed civilised – will take
form in the relationships with the other people. Every living cell tries to
develop itself on the account of the environment; its evolution stops at the
meeting with another similar cell, which do the same thing.
More than other beings, the man is a social
one. For him, the relationship with the other people is added. That’s why, to
be civilised means to respect the others. The translation of the word “Omonia”,
the name of one of the most important squares in Athens, is “harmony”. Probably
it is there where people used to conciliate at a glass with ouzo. It sound
well, but today is better not to be there during the nights. How is that that,
after centuries of Christian education, people became worse and worse?
The most mythology has at the base the Chaos or
a symbol of the evil; the god of well needed to come, to defeat him and created
the organized space in which the man can live. Marduk made up the world from
the body of Tiamat, a marine monster. It means that evil is primordial. The
will appeared through civilisation. The man only imitates the deeds of the
gods. If gods needed to overthrow a monster or a primordial being and only
after this to make the world, the man, in his turn, must to do the same when he
builds a citadel or a house. This is the justification of the sacrifices –
sanguinary or symbolic. The Christianity, speaking only about God, avoiding the
primordial evil, lost the philosophic vein. In Mythology, there were good and
evil gods. The faith reflected the life. The gods were among the people. In
Christianity, there are only good saints.
The malefactor is, in a certain measure, a
suicide, because he must hide a part of his identity. As a social being he is
not entirely integrated in society, namely he kills a part of his being. Is he
free? Not even the freedom of speech. Most time he whisperings, with his mates.
He hides his face and look even when he doing nothing ill. The usage and
conscience of his incorrectness make him to isolate himself. He build an
artificial jail around him even he is free. He is not open toward the society.
As part of the society, he is its corn-cockle. Even if people did not identify
him as a malefactor, he knows who is and does not risk to be put at his place.
He does it by himself. From the social point of view, he is a dead man.
Christian religion, starting from the idea that
man is born evil, preaches the goodness by the fear of God, hoping that the man
will improve his position between the two extremes. As expected, the result is
null, because the arguments are not persuasive, and an ideal – as any ideal –
is impossible to be reach. Preaching a realist solution would have been more
successfully.
So, man is born evil, but the contact with the
others tames him. Maybe the word evil is too hard. He is born monopolizing,
greedy, rapacious. On the other part, society does not make him good, but only
tolerant. He accepts the other, learn to break his bents, not because he became
better, but because he learnt this is the single way. The parents are tolerant
with the children when they are bored to vainly make them reproof, or they
never did it: “let him doing it; he is only a child”, as if he will be educated
at old age.
We should define the good and ill nature in a
different way. I do not know how, but not this is the problem. The fact is that
they exist in our being, and not only in us, but in some animal too, in
different proportions. Another word that we use but is not definite is the
soul. In the past, people tried to explain by it people’s character and the
source of life. Some of them placed it in the liver. From here, the expression
“I will eat him liver” appeared. Some tribes even did it, with the defeated
enemy. From here, the idea that people from such tribes were cannibals. This
was a lie. The gesture was only a symbolic one. In Etruscan mythology, the
macro-cosmos has a correspondent in a micro-cosmos laying in the liver of every
man.
Of course, the soul is not in the liver. Then,
where is it? The bookshops are full of books with occult subjects. As the
booksellers are merchants, it means they sell such books, so there are buyers,
namely people having such questions and hope to find the answers in these
books. If some scientist had done it, there would been well, but only people
unable to solve simple problems have such preoccupations. (Metaphysics – the
science of these who ploughed in the examination of physics.)
Watching the TV, I see a crocodile eating
something with open mouth, though the water is miserable, full of other
repulsive beings. This is not a problem for the crocodile. But we do the same.
The air is not pure, but full al lots mineral, vegetal and animal particles,
died of alive. We do not grasp them. Another example: medusas that we see in
the water of seas are almost transparent and gelatinous. If they had been more
transparent and jelly-like, we would have not grasped them. And still, they
exist. So, some objects, beings, mediums could exist around us that our organs
of sense do not perceive. A more eloquent example is that of the light. With
all efforts of the scientists, we do not know much about it. There is an
undulatory theory, but a corpuscular one as well, we can speak about photons,
but they are useful only in technical applications. What the light really is we
do not know. It is the same with the waves of different kinds. We only noticed
by experiences their behaviour and know how to use them. For radio and
television we make different antennas, though we do not know what these wave
are, not a question to put our hands on them.
In all this incertitude, something is clear: we
will never know where is the soul, but it does not mean that it does not exist.
So, what is the difference between the faith of the people from the past,
according with the soul would be in the liver and our conviction that genetic
program is in DNA (dezoxi-ribo-nucleic acid)? Maybe only the fact the
expression “I will eat his liver” has no longer any signification, as we cannot
eat our enemies’ DNA.
A serious problem is how we educate the young
people to find their way in the society? How will he know to put in value his
natural inclinations, to choose between well and evil? His soul will finally be
his personality, and this one is mouldable.
· *
*
As all meridionals, the Greeks are passional
people. Among the passions, the love is present. Latin people had Amor (amour);
the Greeks had Eros. I do not know how was at their time; today, the word amour
is used for a platonic love, while erotic for a carnal, sensual one. As a
matter of fact, in Greek language, eros means desire, so the difference is
clear. Only Plato gave it a different interpretation, as a play of the hazard,
symbolized by the play of the knucklebones. It is true that love does not obey
to the ration and, from this point of view, the philosopher was right, even his
interpretation has not link with the initial sense of god of desire. Besides,
in our world of people of letters, we can wrong easily writing Eros instead of
Eris. The mistake is grave. Not because Eros was a god and Eris a goodness. We
are not misogyny, but Eris was the goodness of feud. It’s true, the feud is
aleatory too; one never knows when, where and why it appears. As usually, Zeus
conceived her, during one of his escapades, more erotic than amorous.
· *
*
We must exercise the admiration both for
Voltaire and Rousseau, as they are among the great spirits of the humanity. But
we cannot take as models both of them. They did not agree each other, as their
conceptions were opposite. And still, sometimes, we are tempted to render
justice to one or another, according with our mood and situation.
Reasoning and sentiments could be conciliated
each other? We want it, but it is not possible. And then, how we should to do?
Are we condemned to be . . . in two boats in the same time? Reasoning and
sentiments must coexist. We have to find a modus vivendi.
The wish of creating a non-contradictory
philosophic system is absurd, as time as life itself is made by ontological
contradictions. Not only full of them but also born from them: positive and
negative, well and evil, black and white, devil and divine and so on. Only the
one who does not think enough may think he is a philosopher with such
pretensions.
The same is with the dichotomy between
Apollonian vs. Dionysian. There is an Apollo in each of us, but also a
Dionysus. As the peace between the two ones is not possible, an armistice is
the only way for our quiet. But it means the mediocrity in the same measure.
And then, which is the wise solution? If the squander
son from biblical parabola had knew that he would come back, he would has not
left. A certain measure of ignorance is necessary. Those two brothers had the
same knowledge, as they had the same education, but one of them was more
obedient, while the other more naughty. He did not have enough trust in
counsels. The difference is only of mentality. Finally, the squander son could
say: “Thank you God that you gave me the test of voluptuousness, the thirsty of
pride, and the envy, and double-dealing, and hate. With them nobody is great.
But without them nobody is alive.”
Ration is predictable. That’s why it can be
counteract by those who have interest to do it. Only passion is unpredictable.
Sometimes it has success just because the surprise. That’s why is well to know
that, in hidden nooks, it lies in wait.
· *
*
Anastasia has friends, because she is
good-natured. Besides, she is correct and a conversation with her is pleasant,
as she is an intelligent woman. Only wicked people have not friends. They have
only comrades for their ill-deeds.
Not matter if they are two different
characteristics or values on the same scale, the kindliness and wickedness
depend on man’s nature. They are genetic. The life offers him the opportunities
in which his nature will be manifest.
After a lost battle, you must have the courage
to start again. Anastasia lost many battles and, after all, she recovered. Her
courage became stronger, fortified her.
There are sorrowful some people because they
are “in duty with a death”. The death is only the end of the life. You do not
listen a good concert waiting for its end. You enjoy listening it, while it is
played. When it finishes the joy finishes too. We should consider “convicts to
life”. In this case, we should obey our penalty as is right to do.
The kindliness should be cultivated like the
cleverness, which we have in different quantities.
· *
*
Fotios, ironical means “to light” in Greek
language (fotizo), so the opposite of what happened with him. Instead to light,
he lost his own organ of sense: an eye.
Anastasia means resurrection, revival. Was it a
predestined name?
Many women want to preserve al long as possible
the passed beauty of the youth. Wrong! („Forma bonum fragile est” – Ovidiu)
The secret of the life is to
know who to get old on a beautiful way.
End of the roman