Thursday 30 August 2007

There are 2 really difficult, sometimes discouraging aspects of blogging;or to say it better, of creating new posts in blogs; the one is to find a concise and smart title and the other is to find a meaningful photo...
Major issue of the last days in Greece is the destructive fires that burnt hundreds of square miles of woodlands, fields and inhabited places. For days I was thinking about writing something relevant. But it would have been way too boring and meaningless at the same time; media all over the world have extensive references/reportages about the fires and the pain and damage they have caused.
But today, I could not stand anymore the temptation to write something related to this unfortunate incident. And the inspiration came from the radio...So, along with this story connected to what I heard on the radio I will write something additionally, which is related to the fires as well but also, in a way, to the previous post of mine (see below the current article)

Story No 1. Some minutes after I got back from the camp; no TV there, no radio, no news...Just some pieces of information occassionally arriving to our ears profoundly amplified. I was at my home, doing nothing but watching TV. Things were already bad. Fires had already covered extensive parts of land;villages damaged with people running away in panic;the first information for deaths; unidentified; shocking; I've started to be really emotionally involved (physically not possible;fires were far...and anyway, not an intrinsic will, a real one, cause in my imagination I was already there and fighting against the "monster"). I got into a mood that the country where I live is attacked by unknown enemies/terrorists/conspirators...I got the feeling that we are left alone by the international community;the situation was really bad;the deaths' rate of the first days was equivalent to the ones of a civil war;irritation for me;where is Europe? my first question...I even didn't ask my self "where is the state?" cause maybe it's been a long time since I stopped counting at my state for situations like these and others...Where is Europe; sadness for me; no news about support; how is it possible, I kept wondering...aren't we one? At least, one formation for advanced cooperation in different fields...Angerness for me; where is Europe? People crying on TV, having lost what they have been creating for their whole lives; dead animals, sun was dissapeared as if someone has painted it black; the story of the mother that was found dead in her car, embracing her 4 children......................................
Where is fucking Europe? No logic at that moment to tell my brain that "maybe they are where they are because nobody actually informed them..." Indeed a naive thought, but possible...Or even to understand that "sending whatever type of support to a country, and especially a region, that is so far from "main Europe" takes some time and process...But logic can not prevail in moments like that.Well, moments...Hmmm, I was just lying on my sofa and following the news; but admittedly, in an emotional level, I was fully involved ...
And Europe arrived...Couldn't say it differently at that moment...Mr Sarkozy was the first to call the Greek Government (it's not a clear information if he called or the Greeks did, but this is what I know) and send support. A sense of relief for me..."Europe exists, I said". A simple incident, was enough to regain my belief in Europe. Naive I am again; it was maybe an action that someone can say it moves to the spectrum of "being human" until the "being the new President of France"...Which is no Europe-related in anyway...
Shit, why only France; why only Sarkozy...No no, I am not comfortable with that...It is not Europe ...pffff; there is no Europe...
Cyprus responded...well, our cultural links couldn't initiate any different action...
Israel responded...well, Israel is not Europe but who cares if it is or not at the end of the day. And anyway, in all European sport activities, Israel is involved...
Serbia responded...It seems that a country that has been devastated from war was more sensitive to incidents of disaster than our non-50-years-of-war "European colleagues"... Logically thinking, it is, geographically, closer to Greece.
Italy, Spain, Finland, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Germany, Switzerland (can't recall others at the moment) responded and I was relieved...It was really touching to hear that in a dialogue between 2 Ministers, from Greece and Turkey respectively it was heard "My brother, do you want our help?"...
Europe arrived; structural and institutional support has been already promised; European officials are visiting the dead lands; some hundreds of European fire fighters almost sacrified their lives to save the lands that should have been protected by the state and its people where they belonged...and that's for me and indication that the real union will only be achieved if the focus will be switched from politics and economy to people and their lives...
Australia, Kanada and dozens of other countries have initiated mechanisms of support; I couldn't but at least mention this here, cause it touches me, honestly...

Story No 2. Heard on the radio, a couple of hours ago. 12 people from Afganistan, living in a settlement for "illegal immigrants" and probably have arrived in Greece through the worst conditions a mind can think of, left their tents in the settlement and visited a branch of the Red Cross. They offered their services (better, their hands, heads and hearts) stating clearly "We don't want food! We don't want a house! We don't want money of course! We just want a car to take us to the fires....We can help in eliminating the fires, in building houses for the people that lost them... We can do whatever is needed as a sign of gratitude to these lands and its people that has offered to us a safe shelter"...For me, this is a reason to believe in a better future...this is a reason to keep hope alive...this is a reason to live my life...

May the people that lost their lives in this curse never be forgotten;may their souls rest in peace...

Dead Cities by Future Sound of London has been my Muse...