Geopolitics Magazine November - December 2014 | Seite 72

Geopolitics & Daily News Magazine
Γράφει ο Δημήτριος Σουκέρας
Μέλος της ISASI (International Society of Air Safety Investigators)

Explaining the apathy of People in front of an Unexpected Event: the
Greek Case

Tragedy is a Greek invention that according to Jonathan Shay (unknown) had been widely used in the
ancient past, in response to the social and psychological requirements of a democracy that desperately
needed a way to enable returning soldiers to re-integrate together in a democratic polity, through
recurring participations in the rituals of a theater. Actually it is highly unlikely that any other nation in
the globe could have known more about tragedy, except Greek, the founder of “drama, “tragedy” and
“King Oedipus”.
After so many years that the word “tragedy’ was heard for the first time, Greeks of present, had their
chance in massively participating into their own tragedy, after the signing of the first agreement
between the Papandreou government in Greece and Troika in 2010, in line with the words of Aldous
Huxley who stated that “We participate in a tragedy. At comedy we only look”. Voices of criticism had
said that it is impossible for a nation as the Greek to remain in apathy, especially after the first decade
of 21st century, to accepting losing its European identity and respectively cascading into a nonstop
humiliating status.
Normally individuals have a minimum tolerance in the effect of unexpected events into their lives, but
facing a tragedy that includes a whole nation it is a different story. Although everybody had expected
the typical stress reactions to show up and dominate people’s behavior for a short period of time, their
estimations were proven completely wrong.
The shock and disbelief that had originally made up its appearance, just after people in Greece had
learned about the “bankruptcy” and the economic slump which emerged into their lives is still well
Geopolitics.com.gr all rights reserved 2014

Page 70