Greece Says No!

In a surprise outcome for many in the EU the Greek people have voted not to accept the austerity packages being proposed in return for further bailout funding. I’m glad not to be living under such pressures, the situation will get worse before it gets better, but I applaud their courage. The parallel to me is one of rejecting chemotherapy – a rejection of the idea that someone can get well by taking poison. My model for health requires that – 1. We Stop Getting Sick No more punitive austerity to service unpayable debts 2. Remove the Toxins Keeping us Sick Sweep away failed methods and institutions whose sole interest is in maintaining the status quo rather than providing the Greek people with hope for a sustainable future. 3. Use the Best Building Materials to restore health Engage the willing participation of the Greek people to define the best way to rebuild their economy and provide them with markets for their goods and respect for their independence. Although this crisis does pose great hardship for the Greek people, and consternation in the money markets, it potentially offers us an opportunity to re-examine our ideas around the European Union as a group of collaborating states serving the whole while honouring and contributing uniqueness. No healthy body can exist without a full complement of organs maintained in harmonious balance. The big questions for a stable recovery are - ‘How can we create the conditions in which such economic chaos cannot reoccur? What changes will the Greek people determine that will prove their ability to manage their own affairs? Perhaps most importantly – How much does the EU respect the rule of democracy over domination by financial institutions? Time to remove the tumour and cancel the debt? We are certainly living in interesting times.

Checkpoint

Every once in a while we are stopped dead in our tracks and invited to assess our direction of travel. I had such an experience recently when a trusted friend gave me some painful feedback. It was interesting to follow my emotions as they developed. It may also have opened a door to a deeper understanding of my formative years and an investigation that will continue for a long time. Elisabeth Kübler Ross writes of the stages of change as Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance and Growth. I am aware of these stages already at work, but perhaps because of having walked similar roads before, I’m better prepared for the journey and will try to negotiate them with equanimity. It may also be that with a level of insight, that was previously unavailable, my passage through these times will be quicker. My first reaction (Denial) told me – That’s unfair, he’s got it all wrong. How dare he! An examination of the facts however upheld his observation. I liken the experience to getting a ticket for doing 36mph in a 30mph zone. It stings, but facts are facts. The Bargaining, such as it was, went on in my head. Had he not made a similar observation of another person that very day? What made my transgression an occasion for reprimand – since it was obviously less serious? Putting on my friends’ shoes for a moment however gave the lie to this stance. My transgression affected him directly and it’s inappropriate to use my personal yardstick to measure the strength of his emotions. The Anger kicked in quite quickly. I did indeed feel unfairly treated. In earlier times I might have lashed out instinctively and fuelled the fire now burning in my head. I did have some blows of my own to land but instead chose to roll with the punch and to pick myself off the floor some distance away where the situation would look different. Despite enjoying a beautiful spell of summer weather, a dark cloud descended on my day. Depression weighed in with a vengeance. My greatest tormentor was my own conscience at the thought of having caused such upset to a friend. Another factor was confronting the fact that my measuring stick was so grossly inaccurate. Up to this I’d always been amazed at how often my friend and I shared a common perspective on life. Acceptance is an essential component in a change programme and is intimately linked with taking responsibility for moving forward. It might often require us to endure a ‘sackcloth and ashes’ period as we take ownership for our shortcomings. Closely linked to Forgiveness it requires us to ‘lay down arms’ and renounce all expectation of redress. Today is Monday and the sky is grey but already the world beyond my laptop is going about its business and so must I. Growth requires that I identify small sustainable practices that I can take to embed new patterns of behaviour. It also reminds me that however much I ‘Big Myself Up’ in my own mind, it is an external jury of opinion that adjudicates my performance. I may even find that, despite my best efforts, these are ‘my spots’, a shadow of my personality that I must accept and incorporate. Investigation of my formative years continues. Another aspect has been illuminated for deeper examination but for now I’m through today’s checkpoint and can proceed with caution.