RE: A QUEST OF NOT BECOMING CORRUPT
It feels nice seeing a post of yours popping up on my feed! :)
I must admit, your stories are so motivational but allow me to say it, you have the "luxury" to live in a country that takes care of its people and people can always afford losing a job to find another one.
I admire you for not putting your morals away in order to "climb" the hierarchy and social status ladder! It feels so deliberating being able to object to things you don't agree with, being able to defend and justify your opinion.
But all this made me sad because as I kept reading, images from Greek employees that have to work in badly-paid positions, withstand a mean boss' behavior or simply shut their mouth whenever they feel their rights and morals being "violated" because should they dare speak, they would risk losing those penny-salaries that are so hard to find in a country with high unemployment levels...
Thank you, Ruth-Girl,
I am happy that you bring up some points here.
Some people in my country would not agree with what you say about finding new jobs. I experience often a great anxiety to lose the current job even though it's an unfulfilling one. Being unemployed is also a great stigma and people feel isolated and ashamed and often fall into a big black hole when suddenly they have to take care themselves of their daily structures and duties without having it provided through an employer. The fear of losing money, status and security is often what brings people to their edges or burns them out as they stress or even sacrifice themselves to their companies. Even though we have that net and security it's not giving the feeling of security to many people, as strange as it may sound to you or me.
Then there are others who feel relieved and do welcome the time out. Indeed, it is a luxury to have the chance to shake oneself off of the angst and enjoy an unemployed time.
Can you provide me (and the other readers) with a personal example of yours where you had an experience of having stood your ground (must not be job-related)? Do you have witnessed your fellows in creating a greater sense of solidarity and support or even new business models in your country? I would like to hear some good practice examples. This should be about hope.
If my country would go down and I would face a desperate time I could always rely on my family. My brother inherited my parents' house and if the whole economy went down the drain, I would go back there and cultivate the garden with my siblings and live on a very small foot. Without this family connection, I would probably be forced to do work that I would not really want to do or that I detest. But perhaps the new forces would also awaken in me and I would recognize the necessity of understanding myself well with people even under adverse circumstances. I really don't know. But I think hope and joy can still be found in the darkest places. That is what my mother taught me and she survived second world war and imprisonment.
What I meant is that in countries with "healthier" economies unemployment is a temporary state. Here, if you lose your job you might need to become an immigrant to get a new one (a best friend of mine has moved to London to get a job in her profession, because she could not find one in Greece and had to work as an illegal clothes shop assistant who got 20 euros/day and worked 6 days/week). Still, we are a lot better than other developing countries, but we have lost a lot (and the price is paid by "innocent" younger generations, but this is another looong story).
I was trying to think of any such incidents, but I cannot find one. Well, the most recent story of mine where I insisted, because I thought I was right and my voice prevailed was a few days ago. My mum wanted to follow her mum's wish and not have a traditional Easter lunch table at our home, because her sister had passed away 2 weeks ago and it wasn't "appropriate" (the custom says we roast a lamb in a spit). Note that my grandma lives next door, but only my parents, my sister and two friends would come over for lunch, no festivities, music or crowds. Grandma would just come to say hi and exchange wishes. So, instead of a lamb we were supposed to have a barbecue. And I kept saying this is hypocricy, because what difference would the meat make? Let's say that after a few days of me whining about how it is not fair to not honor years of tradition because of a relative we rarely saw or heard of passed away. Selfish? Stupid? I don't know, it just felt like we were trying to hide behind our finger.
I think I am kind of a chicken, I only step up and claim my rights with people I know I can "persuade" kind of. I would be afraid to do so in front of an employer for petty things, but if something more serious was the case, I think I would have stepped up and let my voice be heard.
Thank you for this honest response.
First of all, I want to say that the financial crisis in your country made me often think of Greece and how becoming a member of the EU was not doing you good. As it was only related to the currency and economical intentions I think that our governments were in principle seeking for the right message (to unite all Europeans) but did use the wrong tools. Long before the currency union, I felt that European countries drifted towards union as I can vividly remember that in my youth we traveled to Spain and Italy and Greece without having the thought that we must be united as we already were cause traveling was not a big deal even with the official borders. The fact that one had to exchange the currencies even made it more exciting and having the feeling of entering a different culture and habits and food was the main reason for visiting another country.
To live with the differences and find them valuable is still for me more of importance as to make all the countries even in their appearances and economies.
Yes, you lost a lot in that.
The example of your Easter tradition and you wanting to continue that ritual made me think... I want to say condolences to your mother and grandmother as they have lost a sister and a daughter. From the perspective of your grandmom, I can understand why she longed for making a difference in this year's Eastern approach.
To honor the death of one of her daughters the attempt to have it different and not the usual way is understandable. Even though I can hear that the contact was loose and you were not much in touch with her still I find it right to not have continued with the usual.
I hope you don't mind that I deliver my perspective on that. I also can understand your perspective though and I wonder if it would have been possible to connect both of the desires or if that indeed happened while your Easter gathering? You must be honored to keeping alive your tradition, too.
Much love to you.
Greece was not ready to join the currency. I agree, but there have also been years of abuses and mismanagement that only augmented the problem.
As for the family "matter" and Easter tradition. Thank you for your condolences, but I think I might not have explained something right. It was my grandmother's sister who passed, my mum's aunt. She was an old and sick lady and, may God rest her soul, not one of the best people I knew. And if my mum felt any close to her late aunt and wanted to mourn I would have respected that. But this thing was all a silly attempt to hide behind our finger.
I mean we honored her memory at the funeral, my mum and I were the only ones of her nieces and nephews who helped out with the coffee and snack event (Things here work a bit different, in my village the relatives prepare coffee and snacks for the people who attend the funeral. They are the ones who have to serve and then clean up the special gathering hall. My mum and I did all this by ourselves. And just to be fair, two of my mum's cousins did come to serve coffee for an hour or so, but then "disappeared" just before cleaning time). I felt like we had already done our part (and we will do it again for this woman in the next two memorial services to come, I do not object to that).
My point is, when it is obvious hypocricy I cannot keep my mouth shut :P
Love back to you too! :D
Oh, I see. Thanks for clearing that. I am all in favor to open the mouth:)