Restoring a culture of community
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As Greeks brace themselves for the most frugal Christmas in recent memory, they cannot ignore the tales of desperation making headlines almost daily and the small colonies of homeless people lining central streets of Athens.
To make matters worse, charity groups are finding it difficult to cope with the increased demand as donations have dropped. According to SOS Villages Greece, a non-profit organisation, donations have been reduced by as much as 15 percent, while other aid groups for low-income families have been busier than ever. But this drop in donations has only made the demand for a collective ethos stronger. And this could prove especially beneficial for a society that has been castigated for its individualism and materialism.
Moving stories of abandonment have proliferated, serving to shock and jolt a hitherto complacent nation that had been drawn into a false sense of prosperity.
The chilling story this week of two four-year-old boys left on the doorstep of Kivotos - a central Athens NGO founded by a priest to help impoverished children - was one of many examples of the sense of desperation that has gripped the less privileged sectors of society. But the sense of perspective brought on by these stories of misery is helping to awaken a culture of community, which has been dormant for so long.
More and more people are beginning to realise that - with governments and politicians unable to provide hope for a better future - salvation can only come through solidarity. Notions of collective responsibility are finally entering the mainstream and this can only strengthen the moral fibre connecting a society in crisis.
Greece has been through many challenges in its modern history and it has always prided itself on surviving through the mettle and filotimo of its people. If Greece can rediscover its moral bearings, it may actually gain in the long run.
source athensnews.gr
May 19, 2012 - 02:07
