The break in the heart of summer allows us to stop for a moment and consider where we are and where we’re headed. It’s not only because many of us are on holiday, while others work without pause to cover the tourist season’s expanding needs, it’s also that the midday sun forces us to find a shady corner and perhaps ponder the state of our country and the world.
This year, I feel that in Greece we are seeing the world change while we struggle to take the steps that would help us anticipate the dangers of our time.
We cannot avoid seeing the vast numbers of tourists, and the money changing hands in the real estate sector. But it is also clear that for most Greeks, life is becoming more difficult, and the achievements of past decades are threatened or becoming unreachable dreams. Unemployment may have fallen from 24% at the height of the crisis to about 8%, and the minimum wage may be higher, but young working people are finding it increasingly difficult to buy a home and to raise a family. It was not easy even for their parents, but in previous decades the country developed rapidly and many were able to enjoy unprecedented prosperity, albeit it with borrowed funds.
Today, the gap is widening between those who have family assets (especially if they are exploitable) and those who struggle on their own. Uncontrolled construction and many new super-luxury resorts create the impression of intense economic activity but they will exact a heavy price on the environment, our cultural heritage and, consequently, the future of the Greeks.
