My small country...

"My country is so small
that when the sun goes to sleep
nobody can be sure of having seen him
The wise old ladies say
that this is why he keeps coming back
My country is small
that from the top of one steeple
you can always see the next one
They say that the villages are afraid
of being alone
and of being too big
My country is so small
that she can fit in my heart
if life takes me away from her
and until they invent
detectors for the heart's secrets
we shall all be smugglers
of our small country"

The lyrics come from Lluis Llach, a great Catalan singer and composer (what the Spanish wisely call author/creator of songs). I listened to them today for the first time and I could not think of better words for my mood.

These last days I have thought about Greece more than the usual. Yesterday I witnessed the devotion, strength of character and constancy of the Greek national basketball team, probably a role model for all Greeks for its combination of talent, comradeship and confidence. Over my life I have passed from being an utterly fanatic hooligan to a normal, sane sports fun that simply does not miss a game. But in this team, European Champions two years ago, World Cup runners-up last year, who yesterday battled against World Champions and hosts, Spain until the last minute I see a lot more than a great team, mostly because they combine a lot of Greek virtues while perpetually defying all the flaws of our race. They never give up, they do not whine about their misfortunes, they never look for excuses. They take pride in victory and assume responsibility in defeat. They are confident in themselves but have no problem in recognizing the superiority of the opponent. I have seen teams maybe more talented than this one. But to date I have not come across a group of such character and dignity.

I have written, perhaps more than once, that I hate mixing politics with sports. Nonetheless I keep doing it, probably because it cannot be done otherwise. With the Greek elections taking place today, I just hope that a lot of my compatriots think a bit more before casting their vote. And that they think a bit more about this team and how nice it would be if we could create its political counterpart and send it to the Parliament.