Crisis and Community.. DiaNEOsis “What Greeks Believe” — An ADventurous opinion —
The survey “What do Greeks stand for” aims to reflect the mindset of the Greek population in a politically unstable period. It records both the attitudes and value issues of Greeks and the extent to which these are influenced by circumstances and changing situations. That is, which views remain stable and which are influenced and modified depending on the circumstances. The research not only focuses on the pulse of Greek society today, but also extends to a comparative analysis of events in light of past political events. What distinguishes this research from the others, is the fact that it concerns a period of time, during which, crises of great magnitude are occurring, with consequences both for the everyday life of citizens and for their emotional balance. It is not surprising that modern society, which is imbued with an air of liberalism, has become aware of the dangers of the modern age, is turning their focus on them and is demanding that the state modernize public policies and provide protection for individual freedom. It is true that the emotional world of Greeks is dominated by negative emotions. Feelings of insecurity, frustration and anger predominate, as well as a lack of self-confidence and pride, with an outstanding intensification of these feelings in the case of women and young people. This feeling of insecurity characterizes the majority of the population, which has been reinforced since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the fear of war, there is also existential fear due to the climate crisis, which incites the majority’s concern that the future of humanity is threatened. It is also observed that recent unpleasant developments have broken down the feeling of omnipotence or indifference that dominated the Greek mentality and replaced it with a sense of fear and anxiety about the current reality.
Studying the article, one is confronted with one of the greatest and most serious crises of modern times: the crisis of emotions and, by extent, the crisis of the “human soul”. Is there really anything more important than mental health and peace of mind? When was the last time we remember getting out of bed and not being overwhelmed by fear and insecurity about what is happening around us? Wars, floods, earthquakes, fires, economic insecurity, rape, femicide, domestic (and of course not only) violence are now part of everyone’s daily life in the contemporary world. It comes to no surprise that 28.8% of respondents feel insecure, 28.5% feel frustrated and 12.1% are overwhelmed by anger. Nor, of course, is it surprising that such feelings are more intense among women and young people. After all, how could young people remain unaffected when they become aware, from a very early age, of the degradation, hate and misery of society? Under these circumstances, therefore, it is almost a fact that the respondents and, by extent, modern people feel very little self-confidence, certainty and pride. The sense of insecurity and fear comes to shed its veils and cover up the infinite optimism and carefreeness of bygone times. Is this, then, a definitive and irrevocable condition? Are people really doomed to live in the gloom of uncertainty and anxiety? Probably not! One could say that it is a situation which, with proper and early planning, could improve and, why not, change the situation for the better. In particular, it would be beneficial to take actions that would “prevent” adverse events and help to avoid them. All possible causes and scenarios that could damage the mental health and emotions of citizens should be recorded and then analyzed. Following the inventory and analysis, a proposed protocol for a response should be arranged. More specifically, the state could designate a free, mandatory psychologist for young people between the ages of 12–20. This is a critical age in youngsters’ lives, as this is the time when they form character, cultivate values and shape their behavior. It is also very important to always have a prepared and well thought-out plan in case of emergencies, which is applied from the beginning and before the situation deteriorates. The state should not wait until it is in an adverse situation before thinking about how to deal with it. The solution should not simply be financial compensation and public apology.
Regarding the extent to which individuals use their rational thinking over emotion, it appears from the research that, fortunately, the majority use their logic to resolve the social issues that concern them. This can be seen, in particular, in the way the vaccine, and science in general, are perceived as a means of improving life with coronavirus. 86.4% of the public were in favor of the vaccine with a certain amount of hesitation. While at the same time not viewing science as a panacea. There is certainly a crisis arising among the relationship of church and science. We all witnessed, during the pandemic, the debates that were raised about the Service and the conflicts between the church and scientists over whether the coronavirus could be transmitted through it. The dominance of rational thought is also reflected in the fact that citizens do not expect a ‘magic’ solution from a higher power, but rather address their problems to the institutions that could help them in the difficult circumstances they face. The main institutions that citizens consider can help, but do not, are namely the European Union and the Government.
According to the survey, citizens want the EU to get more involved in health (80.2%), education (71.5%), foreign policy (72%) and defense (77.3%) issues, while citizens desire to a large extent (23.4%) “jobs/ job growth/ opportunities/ incentives” from the state, while only 6.3% demand direct state benefits. These percentages reflect a society that has rationalized needs and seeks improvement in the quality of life from the state and the EU. These citizens do not seek to be unfairly rewarded, but rather for the creation of the right conditions for society to function properly and for them to experience a better quality of life.
The findings are a clear indication that the world is changing and that governments from now on will have to reconnect with their citizens and listen to the issues that concern them. The relationship between the church and the state needs to have more clarity and formally observe the compliance with the rules, proposed by the experts. Whereas, an orientation towards better relations with the European Union, and even the creation of a more common political identity among the EU states, could make citizens feel more “secure”. It also seems that more attention should be paid to the healthcare system, by improving the operating conditions of hospitals, especially under the specific conditions that society has to live with (higher numbers of human resources, modernisation of machinery, reduction of waiting times). It would also be helpful to create programs to absorb unemployed citizens and to improve working conditions in general, with greater transparency and the guarantee that workers’ rights are respected.
The research clarifies the liberalization of the social body. Of course, this process starts with political issues and ends with refugee issues. Nearly 50% of the respondents are strong Russophiles, who remain stable in numbers regardless of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Also, strong remains the American favor and the preference of the Swedish republic. Parallel to the eastern parts, there is a strengthening of relations between Greece and Israel, in terms of strategic and economic incentives. Additionally, the boundaries in the word ‘anti-Semitism’ and the prejudices around it have started to blur, which has resulted in such terms not being utilized so often. As observed from a political point of view, there is a pre-existing state of modernization. The intense debate around the social issue of sexual harassment both in the media and at a general level, has left a global mark on the assertation of women’s rights, on women’s emancipation and on the pronounced individual autonomy. All this struggle for the protection and claim of individual rights strengthens and impels everyone to think about the value of human life, when it ought to be claimed, and most importantly that it should not be underestimated, nor should every voice be left in obscurity.
Furthermore, the respondents’ answers clearly reveal the intense manifestation of their views, while showing their individual identity on social issues and sensitive issues, in particular. Greece is still living in the aftermath of the post-war epic tale and the urbanization of its divided but very generous people, who have evolved with the times but are still haunted by the fear of anything “different”. Modernization through the stages of fear creates ruptures in the stability of that term, however in the 6 years of research there have been serious changes of opinion on many issues. It is now clear that science prevails over religion, with more than 50% of citizens being religious advocates and a small percentage atheists. However, in relation to the past, what is becoming apparent is that young people are better at expressing their religious identity, which indicates how liberal the social body is becoming. Evidently, more and more people trust science and its discoveries, some of which oppose the preachings of the church. For example, the issue of the world’s creation, from a religious point of view, little by little is turning into a thing of the past or maybe is being perceived as an illusion. Also, nowadays it has become easier to challenge these religious beliefs than it was in the past and so, a large part of the masses is asking questions that people in the past used to hesitate asking or not know how to ask. Furthermore, in this age man is more educated which constitutes a big factor, because the former scholar is now the average person. The general opinion suggests that priests should be paid by the church and not the state, the reason being the way some priests acted during the period of Covid19 pandemic. While the stigma of not embracing the common beliefs and values as the church is being decreased, so is the idea that all the country’s resources should be handled by the official authorities. Resources that can easily be utilized in plenty of other structures of the state.
Sensitive issues, such as same-sex marriage and child adoption are divisive, with more than 50% in favor of the former and 60% against the latter. In matters of security, there is a desire from everyone to intensify criminal repression, a fact that shows that there is a clear demand for the strengthening of the social bond. Increasingly more individuals feel every person is different but at the same time a part of a cohesive whole. In this whole everyone celebrates their own unique characteristics but together as a union, are equal in terms of rights and obligations. In a world where man strives for more rights and for the laws to be adapted to the new reality, he believes that stricter penalties are necessary, in case of a violation of these laws. We cannot be sure, though, whether people ask for stricter penalties to be implemented to offenders, because they wish for them to be punished or they believe that these penalties would act as inhibitory factors for committing any crime.
But what do all these data indicate? With so many global problems, Greece has learned to accept them due to its own national divisions and problems and is making a serious effort to modernize itself from conservative, past views and values. Greek citizens have developed a relative immunity to problems and constantly try to hope for the best. However, what is being said is different from what is happening. Ideas without the necessary knowledge regarding how to implement them are meaningless. For instance, in the case of the most intense national problems Greece faced (snowstorms and fires), there was no strategic plan on how to handle them. If the state wants to stabilize the numbers of social modernization, it must provide ideas with a pre-existing strategic plan and alternative solutions on how to deal with each crisis. Secularization in an unstable, frightened society with no stability, will not last.
The conclusion that can be easily drawn is that, after multiple crises affecting our society and the world, the concept of individual self-determination seems to be established entirely. However, negative emotions seem to dominate people’s mentality. Crises such wars, rape, femicide, climate change are a disgrace and most definitely not only an insult to human dignity but also a violation of basic human rights. Undoubtedly, incidents of this sort overwhelm people with terror of what the future holds, of what catastrophy may come next and especially whether it would affect them or their loved ones on a personal level. These shared concerns have resulted in the development of an unprecedented sense of unity in the Greek population. Consequently, past discriminations and hatred towards minorities have now been alleviated. Additionally, compliance with outdated norms seems to be largely a tendency of the past. People wish for the State to be more involved, but without that entailing that the State would define their personal beliefs and values, or even overshadow their uniqueness of character. One thing that is certain, is that the times are changing and society should change along with them.
Huge thanks to our professors: Mania Xenou, Betty Tsakarestou !
ADventure team: Μαρίνα Σ., Effie Karpathaki, Demetra Tzorou, Eirhnhzh, Katherine Papagianni, Theodora Filopoulou
