Most people in Greece are
lazy. But they are not lazy because they were born lazy – they are
lazy because of the place they live in. Try to focus on work when the
sky is always blue and temperatures invite you to a refreshing beer
by the sea. Seriously, try it! It's much easier to be very productive
when it's raining and there's nothing else to do anyway. Like in
Germany for example.
I try to follow the news
as little as possible but it's rather difficult to ignore all the
talking about the current crisis in Greece. What I'm really tired of
is the constant battle between black and white: It's the Germans
fault; no, it's the Greeks fault – it's like being for Barca or
Real... Fact is though, the mess that Europe (and the world)
finds itself in is grey. As they say, 'it takes two to
tango'.
Greece borrowed money and
can't pay it back. Part of the problem lies with the Greeks
themselves – there's loads of corruption and the tax system is a
total disaster, especially when it comes to making the rich ones
contribute in an appropriate way. Just one example: I was in Greece
in May, on a sailing trip with a Spanish friend. In the harbour, we
paid 6 Euros per night for our 38ft boat (already far too cheap). One
night there was a huge 100ft motor yacht next to us (which consumes
several thousand Euros of petrol just to cruise around for a day).
This yacht belonged to some Greek people. They paid 9 Euros for the
night... Sorry Mr Tsipras, I support you in many ways, but you gotta
sort this kind of shit out or otherwise nothing will change. Ever!
At the same time it's also
true that the EU lend money to Greece so that they can cash in on
high interest and sell their fancy tanks to someone. This is
ridiculous and not acceptable whatsoever. But to say that the Greek
dilemma is only the fault of the Northern Europeans is as mistaken as
to say that only Greece is responsible. Trying to solve the problem
by thinking in little black and white boxes won't do the job. Neither
will pointing the finger at others.
From our point of view –
the 'normal', non-Greek citizens – getting involved in arguments
about who is right or wrong doesn't help; and blaming political
parties and bankers won't change anything either. So what can we do,
you and me?
Sending donations? Not
really, there are many other countries which need help much more
urgently. Nepal for example.
Buying Greek products?
Yes, perhaps that's one option. It won't solve everything, but it
will definitely help a little. So: Eat feta cheese, buy Greek
olive oil and get drunk on Ouzo. Or make holidays over there – it's
a beautiful country and since its economy depends largely on
tourism, any visitor who spends money will make a difference.
And there's something else
we can do. Something very powerful: Changing to an ethical bank!
Because no matter how much money you have, while it's in your debit
or savings account, the average bank is using it to invest in highly
profitable businesses (weapons, drugs, oil, etc.) and to give loans
with outrageous interest rates to those who already struggle (like Greece). An
ethical bank on the other hand supports organic farms, renewable
energy projects and social institutions – all stuff that needs to
be promoted if we want to create a better world. So, changing your
bank will definitely help, not only Greece but the rest of the planet
too.
Now here's the tricky
part: While it's possible to change to a different bank, it does
involve a little bit of hassle and so we usually don't do it. Not
because we are unable to, but because we can't be arsed. In other
words: We are too lazy! Which brings me back to the beginning of this
story: Under certain conditions and in certain situations, everybody
is lazy! It's not a crime, it's just a human weakness. And
admittedly, sometimes it's rather nice, possibly even important to
let go and simply be lazy. Yet if we want to see changes, there's
only one way and that is to overcome our very own indolence and to
start getting active. After all, change is all about movement – no
motion, no change.
Personally I think that
the EU and the IMF should cut the debt – to show solidarity with
Greece AND to pay for their own greediness. Greece, instead of
staying stuck in the victim role, should sort out its own problems. They could make big changes as of today – changes they will need to
make anyway, with or without the EU.
And the rest of us? Well,
there's this thing called Google. We use it to find new shoes,
compare flights and search for porn. In theory we could also use it
to find an ethical bank...
