a tribute to all that is earthly

Summer is nearing its end. Most of us went on vacation in the hope to escape not only our routines but also our current and future realities. Similar to what we think when we close our eyes and hope that a new landscape has formed in those split seconds of darkness but will stay on even after we open up our eyes again. Call it day-dreaming, but for what it is worth it does provide for some relief and mental distraction. Or like a Greek poet so brilliantly once stated "what do I need reality when I can have all those dreams"? In search of new tunes and new images we attempt to redesign and redefine beauty, in the anticipation to release more inner strength to deal with the things that lie ahead. We met up with friends this summer from around the world, only to realise that most share a common reality despite the fact that we live worlds apart. Consumed by the same thoughts, concerns and anxieties we let this world shrink in size and engage in a mode of solidarity unknown before almost as a reflex. We try to inject optimism into one another, and we all know that despair and demotivation wear the same colour, no matter where you are in the world. And yet no one really understands the world anymore and everyone has its own set of fears to tackle. And this bring me to the subject of the massive immigration that is ongoing on the planet these days, which is threatening the foundation of many States and is also threatening to alienate the ethnic and religious purity of fore-mostly Europe.

I may not understand much of what is happening these days or maybe I may be too insignificant to get the whole picture but what I do realise is a world in massive shift. This enormous eradication of humans, who are forced to leave their homes in search of a better future in the West, just does not seem to make too much sense. All these thousands, if not millions of people that are reaching the Greek shores daily on rafts, half sunken boats fleeing their troubled lands, they all share the hope of a better future in Europe. How realistic is that expectation? Or is not the mere shifting of Muslim population into Europe and the total alienation of Europe's religious profile? Is it not just the next step in globalisation? After taking apart national identities we are now dismantling the next common and socially gluing element in this part of the world, which is religion. And who is staying back in those troubled countries or do they completely empty? Why is the global community no longer protecting cultural heritage? How can it be that Palmyra was completely surrendered to the barbaric appetite of ISIS? What will be next? The destruction of the Parthenon? And who is benefiting from this collective erasion of ethnic and religious identity? How can we allow such barbarism to rise again? Soon there will be a planet with no ethnically homogeneous countries, only social formations sheltered under common roofs. And when that happens no one single person will have proprietary rights over another despite the chronological presence in any given territory.

With my intention being far from promoting or portraying religious beliefs, I do feel the need to quote Matthew 10:16 when he said "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves". I fear no one, but I have come to trust no one, either. We live in suspicious times and suspicious times call for sharp senses. On a different note, this country is looking into its third elections within a year. Not for a moment can we afford to believe that this is happening at random. If you ask me, I think we are looking at the after-play of Greece's Eurozone exit. Make no mistake, Greece's current hybrid position of being part of the Eurozone but not enjoying the benefits of the Eurozone (i.e. Capital Controls) is strongly pointing into one single direction if you ask me, and that direction is not within the Eurozone. Call me naive or call me fantasised I would be more than happy to be proven wrong!

A nice Fall to everyone!