Greece is on the global media spotlight for the last 20 months. Thousands of front pagers, millions of articles, trillions of opinions, countless thoughts on what has gone so wrong in this country. On hearing “Greece” the world understands “problem”. The trust is gone, so is the credibility. Is it the fault of politicians? Definitely. Is it the fault of the Unions? No question. Is it the fault of our parents’ generation? I think so. The only ones not having done anything to cause the crisis, are the ones who will literally pay for it. The young greeks, who are so sick of everything representing the past in their country, who do not want to follow the “safe way” of getting a job in the public sector, who desperately want to follow the western type of career building and entrepreneurship, all those who want to do something to change their country but they don’t know how.
It is nothing but sad to travel around and getting criticized again and again on the same issue. And it is even sadder to explain why all this is happening. I remember my first YEPP event as ONNED’s International Secretary. It was the Summer School in Riga and i had to answer all these questions at the beginning of the crisis. 20 months later, i get the same. Yet, my answers are more pessimistic. There is something though, that makes me hope that some good will come out of this crisis. The change of mentality. Young Greeks seem to have realized what needs to be changed. More and more of my friends want to stay here and start their own business without depending on the State allowances. More young Greeks get more information and become more educated, starting to think more openly. More Organizations are voluntarily offering solutions to everyday problems, trying to have a positive effect on our society’s misery.
In other words, young Greeks are building a more responsible, more educated, more hard working and more creative society. The crisis, the corruption and the riots do not represent my generation. Creativity does. New ideas do.
The crisis is not over yet. The mentalities that brought us here, destroying my generation’s future, are.
