Unfortunately, today's Greek has this bad habit of flattering himself by citing the achievements of others whom he calls ancestors.
I believe they are our ancestors, but that's not the point.
The point is that today's "Greeks" on the one hand boast about their ancestors and on the other hand have the exact opposite mentality and lifestyle. They boast about the birth of democracy but practice partisanship that lives parasitically at the expense of the state and ultimately kills it.
He is proud of the Olympic Games and the “sound mind in a sound spirit” but he hates any kind of exercise and is a world champion in the cafeteria. “””He is proud of Leonidas’ 300 who CHOSEN to fall for their country, but in the army they slouch to a level of indignity or don’t go at all. They are proud of the ancient wise philosophers and writers but they have never read any, and they are not going to read any and they prefer Turkish soap operas!””” There are endless examples like this!
So, my question is: does such a descendant have the right to boast and be proud?
My opinion is: NO!!! On the contrary, he should be ashamed! And the answer to this question has been given by our ancestors themselves. Isocrates, who essentially said that a Greek is defined by education (and mentality and attitude to life) and not by the family tree.
And Alexander the Great (whom we admire, and I personally admire a lot) said when he conquered the whole world that from now on, people will not be divided based on their color (i.e. their origin) but on their commitment to values and ideals. So, according to our ancestors themselves, we are NOT Greeks.
That's why I call us Greeks. Once, in America, an American-Indian asked me who wanted to know more about Greece, which I presented to him from the context as great:
Can you tell me one thing that distinguishes Greece? No, don't tell me about antiquity. I want to know about today. I admit that his question was indeed shallow. But I, in a spirit of self-criticism, gave depth to the question and then my answer was unfortunately unpleasant….
In contrast to ancient Greece, today's Greece is distinguished by negative things. I have a hard time because the modern Greek could be proud of it. And even if I am flexible in my judgment, forgetting the glorious past, I find some great things happening in Greece today, the joy is lost if I see the big picture. Greece is nothing more than an "ordinary", "average" country. Almost all countries have some successes in their modern history: no championship, no star scientist, no celebrity, no Nobel Prize here and there, no famous artist. More or less that's how we are too. If of course we also consider the negatives of our race... then the situation becomes dramatic... And so as not to leave you with the bad and bitter taste for our Greece that I admire and love very much despite its flaws, I will tell you how I see Greece. First of all, I love her because I feel like she's my mother. Even when I argue and fight with her at home, I don't accept anyone speaking ill of her. I will try to support her and help her as much as I can. But apart from this emotional approach, there is also the logical approach. Greece has always been a place of freedom and upliftment, and this also implies that it gives people the space to make their own choices and chart their own course. Even if it is bad, shameful and ugly. This is freedom.
That is why the history of Greece has always been rich in heroes and traitors. Saints and antichrists. Bright spirits and 'animals'. Pioneers and obscurantists. And it is the same today. As it always has been.
We have simply fallen into the "bad" part of the eternal oscillation between good and evil. And right now I see a battle taking place between the scoundrels and the worthy people. You will tell me: are there still worthy people? Yes! there are still, much more than we think.
We are simply under a spiritual slavery because the Lamogias, like other Turks, enslaved us and the worthy Greeks are rascals who have languished under the rule of the Lamogias. And today we must choose who we want to be with.
With the scum of the sultan-type power that is collapsing or with the rajas who are ready to liberate themselves? I want to be with the revolutionary Greeks! Even if I remain the last, I will continue to fight for freedom and justice. Because this is what being Greek is and not the free magic for the ancestors.
Only then will we make our ancestors proud of us. A contemporary gives us the same definition of the Greek that has always been given: “A man is not worthy to boast, unless others proclaim it and he denies it.”
Photo From Copy of Kresilas – Jastrow (2006), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1307557, https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/
