In the so not distant past, nations, leaders, powerful men would resolve their ever ending differences on gray, bloody battlefields. Wars would last years, even decades and the outcome would generally be indecisive. Today major political, economical and social disputes between “advanced” nations and states are resolved by diplomats, politicians, businessmen behind closed doors. The fast-track approach of short-term, maximum efficiency, political and economical gain is usually the most popular amongst modern-day diplomats. Their decisions are often not based on ethics and/or justice, the truthfulness of their arguments is therefore often disputed and contested. The honorable profession of diplomats and peacemakers has lost favor and prestige amongst ordinary people, especially in the developing world, who often consider diplomats and influential politicians as the masters of lies and falsehood.
The question for every diplomat, statesman, trying to reach a settlement between two parties is usually whether to lie or not. Lies that hide painful truths can make his life easy, enhance his communication strategy, his short-term popularity amongst the demanding public. There are many simple rules in diplomacy and one of the most important is to make the loosing party forget about its defeat and losses. People are born to fight, in many cases to the beater end. Realism often gives way to passion and instinct. Painful compromises are hard to swallow, especially by proud and brave men. How do you make them forget their honor and sense of duty towards their country? How do you break them?
Blurring the truth is one way. Another way is to search and exploit their personal weaknesses. A man’s true quality is proven in difficult times. Under systematic political and psychological pressure even the finest of men may break. What is more effective and efficient, to search for your opponents weakness or try to find grounds of common interest and understanding? Is morality essential when you defend your state’s interests? Do you seek cooperation or domination? Difficult questions to answer, especially by ordinary people like me that have no experience or knowledge on international affairs.
Do the rules of every-day diplomacy between ordinary people have any connection, similarities with those implemented in relations between states and international organisations? In their every-day business ordinary people often lie, stretch and/or hide the truth in order to be polite, sell goods, forge alliances etc. Our moral standing can probably be perceived as a reflection of how our state conducts itself in its dealings with us and the world in general. We demand honesty and integrity by those that represent us internationally, the question is whether we are ready to pay a price for it? On the other hand can we trust a diplomat that lies today in order to serve our interests, what if he betrays us in the future and does it for the opposite reasons? Can we find justice using immoral political and diplomatic tools, is it possible? Can we be honest in a world where dishonesty and greed are so often encountered?
All the above questions have been troubling me for years and I still have not found straight answers. Perhaps things will change, perhaps…
PS
How can you not admire people that can persuade others just with their words to lay down their weapons? Nevertheless this power some times scares me more than the sight of a lethal weapon.
Δευτέρα 17 Νοεμβρίου 2008
Τρίτη 11 Νοεμβρίου 2008
Bureaucracy… my every-day monster
I know it sounds odd, almost schizophrenic, but when I was a child I used to admire ordinary clerks, old desk officers, low-level state officials. I used to follow my father in their dirty old offices, in grey buildings full of cracks and poor furnishing. This unfriendly, sad atmosphere would almost hypnotise me. Then I would stare at them, the masters of the legendary Greek bureaucracy. Their sleeves marked with blue ink, the selves behind their desk full of old folders and codes of practice, their ashtrays full of cigarettes, their outfits perfect match with the chaotic environment surrounding them. Their unique ability to fill out endless forms and keep a written record of all their actions in perfect handwriting fascinated me. Their grim, hard and occasionally melancholic face made me think they had some unique wisdom and undisputed authority over how society and businesses operate.
Over the years as I became more aware of laws and processes the myth of the powerful, wise clerk faded way. In my technocratic perception of life bureaucracy became a useless hurdle designed to enslave modern people in a crumbling, conservative, capitalistic and therefore unfair society. Bureaucracy and the associated inefficiency and corruption in the public sector spill over into the private sector creating a “beast” that threatens to “devour” the ordinary man. An overcomplicated legal system with conflicting laws keeps the old bureaucratic system alive and strong as ever.
Nowadays most of the government buildings have been refurbished; the old typewriters have been replaced by fancy computers however bureaucracy remains an unsolved problem. The clerks still fill out endless forms with their dirty, sticky keyboards and cheap pens and demand the same from us. The time and financial cost of dealing with this “sociological monster” has become unbearable. The legal framework on which the system is based becomes more and more complicated and difficult to follow. Options and chances of appeal for unjust decisions have become scarce and financially catastrophic. Governments create new services and departments for even the tiniest and simplest of jobs. This unnecessary sharing of authority and responsibility has only made things worse. Your applications, details and forms are referred from one department to the other and precious time is lost.
The most distressing thing is that the amount of paperwork as you try to do something innovative and progress yourself grows exponentially, especially if you request state support and funding. The whole system forces you to put aside your dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, a productive member of the society. How can a man say he has full human rights if he is denied the right of being his own boss?
PS
I know that some of the expressions I use are directly translated from Greek but I categorically refuse to apologise for that!
Over the years as I became more aware of laws and processes the myth of the powerful, wise clerk faded way. In my technocratic perception of life bureaucracy became a useless hurdle designed to enslave modern people in a crumbling, conservative, capitalistic and therefore unfair society. Bureaucracy and the associated inefficiency and corruption in the public sector spill over into the private sector creating a “beast” that threatens to “devour” the ordinary man. An overcomplicated legal system with conflicting laws keeps the old bureaucratic system alive and strong as ever.
Nowadays most of the government buildings have been refurbished; the old typewriters have been replaced by fancy computers however bureaucracy remains an unsolved problem. The clerks still fill out endless forms with their dirty, sticky keyboards and cheap pens and demand the same from us. The time and financial cost of dealing with this “sociological monster” has become unbearable. The legal framework on which the system is based becomes more and more complicated and difficult to follow. Options and chances of appeal for unjust decisions have become scarce and financially catastrophic. Governments create new services and departments for even the tiniest and simplest of jobs. This unnecessary sharing of authority and responsibility has only made things worse. Your applications, details and forms are referred from one department to the other and precious time is lost.
The most distressing thing is that the amount of paperwork as you try to do something innovative and progress yourself grows exponentially, especially if you request state support and funding. The whole system forces you to put aside your dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, a productive member of the society. How can a man say he has full human rights if he is denied the right of being his own boss?
PS
I know that some of the expressions I use are directly translated from Greek but I categorically refuse to apologise for that!
Δευτέρα 10 Νοεμβρίου 2008
Fading Memories…
In the not so distant past my friends used to envy my ability to remember things, I was truly proud of my memory skills. In recent years I do not feel the same, it is getting harder to remember things from the past, I’ve even forgotten the names of some of the people I studied with for years, people I worked with and had fun. The most terrifying thing is that I do not remember how I felt about everyday things in the past. I feel I have no connection at all with myself 10 or even 5 years ago. In the pictures I look the same but what is in my head appears to have completely changed. I have lost contact with most people from the past, most people that surround me I met the last few years. I still do not know whether that was intentional.
Last week I was talking to a friend I have known for many years, his attitude, his way of thinking appears to have changed very little the last 10 years. I cannot say the same about the rest of my friends, most have matured beyond recognition. The things we did in the past are now distant memories, we only remember the craziest things, the most embarrassing moments, accidents and disasters. I personally hardly remember the satisfaction from my achievements. People ask me how I felt living abroad for so many years; it is becoming more and more difficult to describe it, especially when I talk about how it was in the nineties. I look back at the missed opportunities and I do not remember how I messed things up, what made me weak, did I ever learn any lessons from them, did I become a better man?
People say I am still young, the future is ahead of me, yet what is the future worth if you cannot remember your past. Nowadays I look around me, I see people much younger than me, with more opportunities and energy. They have no fear for the future, I remember having that feeling when I was a student; I felt that the world was mine. Now that feeling like many other pleasant ones is a distant memory. Pragmatism has “crashed” most of my wild dreams and has changed my character. Some times I still behave like an immature teenager; I only do it in a fatal attempt to grasp that feeling from the past.
How things change!
Last week I was talking to a friend I have known for many years, his attitude, his way of thinking appears to have changed very little the last 10 years. I cannot say the same about the rest of my friends, most have matured beyond recognition. The things we did in the past are now distant memories, we only remember the craziest things, the most embarrassing moments, accidents and disasters. I personally hardly remember the satisfaction from my achievements. People ask me how I felt living abroad for so many years; it is becoming more and more difficult to describe it, especially when I talk about how it was in the nineties. I look back at the missed opportunities and I do not remember how I messed things up, what made me weak, did I ever learn any lessons from them, did I become a better man?
People say I am still young, the future is ahead of me, yet what is the future worth if you cannot remember your past. Nowadays I look around me, I see people much younger than me, with more opportunities and energy. They have no fear for the future, I remember having that feeling when I was a student; I felt that the world was mine. Now that feeling like many other pleasant ones is a distant memory. Pragmatism has “crashed” most of my wild dreams and has changed my character. Some times I still behave like an immature teenager; I only do it in a fatal attempt to grasp that feeling from the past.
How things change!
A desperate football fan’s thoughts…
Last night nightmares kept me awake. The glorious win we deserved and expected against Olympiakos never came. We were denied the pleasure of “humiliating” our arch rivals on the pitch. Our chances of wining the title have become dangerously thinner. Our proud and brave fans are loosing hope. It appears that alls is lost, what can we do???
We shall pick our peaces, lick our wounds and fight another day. A man’s quality is measured in difficult times; a great team needs to know how to respond after a bad result. In football as in life wisdom is gained through mistakes, accidents or even disasters. The joy of winning the title, after overcoming all these difficulties and suffering the pain from them, will be even greater and sweeter. If the lessons learnt from this game change our attitude, many years from now we will remember it as a turning point and be proud of our achievements.
PS
I will never understand what makes a man devote so much energy, time and hart into supporting a sports club.
We shall pick our peaces, lick our wounds and fight another day. A man’s quality is measured in difficult times; a great team needs to know how to respond after a bad result. In football as in life wisdom is gained through mistakes, accidents or even disasters. The joy of winning the title, after overcoming all these difficulties and suffering the pain from them, will be even greater and sweeter. If the lessons learnt from this game change our attitude, many years from now we will remember it as a turning point and be proud of our achievements.
PS
I will never understand what makes a man devote so much energy, time and hart into supporting a sports club.
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