I just read an enjoyable account of A South African's holiday to Athens and Paros. Below is his conclusion which I found especially insightful.
What happened to the cradle of western civilisation?
Greece is where everyone becomes involved in everyone else’s business and you can’t move without a hundred people’s opinions. Greece is a lesson in patience, where I learned that lateness should be excused because talking to a friend is important. In Greece everyone is a politician, a philosopher and is most definitely right — or at least thinks so. It’s a country where you break the rules and two seconds later scream at someone else for doing the same thing. It’s a country of paradox. And I loved it.
So what, you may ask, happened to the cradle of western civilisation? After they achieved such heights in so many fields in the ancient world they now seem to have sat back, poured themselves a drink and just chatted about life. Why isn’t Athens the centre of the economic world — instead of London, New York and Beijing?
Well, you see, the modern world seems to have missed it, whereas the Greeks have understood, much like their forefathers Plato and Aristotle: That life is meant to be enjoyed, that everyone is a philosopher and if we all take the time to stop and think about life, talk to the people we pass in the streets and have a coffee with them, then the world would be a better place, albeit at a slower pace.
Amen, Brother!
The article originally appeared in Travel ideas Magazine but I found it here:
1 comments:
- At March 01, 2008 8:07 AM Anonymous said...
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After spending two short weeks in Greece with getting to stay on my favorite island of Paros, my husband and I would like to move there someday!!! It is beautiful and like this article talked about everyone is so interesting to talk with and so nice! Thanks for blogging. I'm enjoying your writings!!!
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