In recent years, in the Greek society, on the occasion of the economic crisis, there has been an intense discussion about the reforms that must take place in Greece. The purpose of these changes is to create a better Greece. But how will we reach at the ideal Greek society?
Plato in his work “State” describes how a society should be structured and function in all its aspects. In substance, he articulates in a very skilful way an imaginary society according to his perceptions. In modern Greek society, in search of this imaginary society, political, economic and social bodies and parties are unable to agree on both primary and secondary issues, such as economic policy, the education system, foreign policy, the health system, etc. As a result of this situation is a permanent stagnation, which deteriorates the situation of our country, as economic, political and social evolutions are constantly and rapidly changing at the international and national level and make reforms an urgent need. However, in addition to the choice of reforms, we must also pay special attention to how they will be implemented, in order to lead to the desired results.
We must not forget the fact that a society is like the human body. Man is born, grows up, matures and eventually dies. In this process of maturation he experiences many experiences, mainly painful and unpleasant, until he reaches the desired result. The same happens with societies. Changes variate the social structure. People are not always ready for this, either for psychological and social reasons or for reasons of financial interest. That is why they react either with uprisings or with peaceful rallies. The Greek case is special. The reactions, most of the time, are due to the “slaughter” of employees, who are paid exorbitant salaries for services they do not offer, or due to trade union (regardless of industry) interests. The result; The growing recession in Greek society with a continuous increase in the problems of unemployment, misery and corruption. The solution; The political will and convergence for the implementation of planned, substantial and effective reforms.
It must be understood that the changes that will realize, no matter how necessary are, will not lead us to Plato’s State. They will, however, be an important step in that direction. To be further understood I will give an example. Ismene is thirty years old and in the medical examinations she did, it was found that she is in the initial stage of breast cancer. She will have to do treatment for a while to get rid of it (real condition). What Ismene wants, however, is to travel with her friends to Europe (ideal situation). If Ismene ignores the doctors’ advices and travels, she will worsen her health condition, as a result of which she will not be cured or she will suffer too much to become healthy again. But, if she follows the advices of doctors, a painful and unpleasant condition, then she will recover quickly and will be able to travel, wherever she wants being healthy. What I am trying to explain is, that in order to reach at the ideal state we must first go through other stages, which are painful and difficult but necessary. Therefore, in order to return to our subject, we must first create a sustainable Greek society and then seek the creation of the ideal Greek society.
This article contains copyright. Reproduction of all or part of this article may be done with the consent of the author or with reference to the website www.marialykousi.gr. The first publication was made in “Echo of Faliro” on 10/15/2013.