agreements of gentlemen

I 'd like to take a deep breath and talk about my father.

Not in the way one talks to his analyst -although my Freudian connection with him is probably more complex than I think. My intention is not to praise or put him to trial. It's just that reading the news that come from my beloved country reminded me of him in a very special way. You see, my father belongs to this post-war generation that relieved from the trials and tribulations of the occupation, hunger and civil war, felt stronger and more courageous to take up any task, no matter how difficult. Most importantly he belongs to the part of his generation, that was not subsequently let down by increasing corruption, lack of meritocracy and eventual disdain for any sort of legitimate effort in order to prosper. Throughout his life he has always remained what John Lennon referred to as "the working class hero", constantly striving within the confined limits of a system that rewarded decency with scorn and cunningness with praise.

For his firm stance he was eventually recompensed with an average pension, which he disgracefully considers slim when looking back to all these years of hard work and shattered ambitions. I would also dare saying that he feels a bit ashamed in front of his family, us, me in particular being his elder and only son. Most likely he is completely unaware of the fact that to my eyes -my 30-year old grown-up eyes and not the ones of a small kid-admirer of his strong dad- he IS the "hero" John Lennon sings about. And of the fact that to me he is the prototype of a gentleman, deserving the greatest respect.

What is so shameful is that his own country doesn't agree with that. At all. As I browse through the greek media on the web, reading about the economical crisis about to hit Greece with the strength of a level-5 hurricane, I hear that the Greek Government is preparing a bill to pass 28 billion Euro to the already "suffering" banks. Moreover, we -the taxpayers and my dear dad among them- hear that this "deposit" is to be done in the most urgent and immediate fashion. This transaction, we are told, is going to be conducted in the form of a "gentlemen agreement", bypassing any bureaucratic obstacles and formalities.

Then I take a moment to think about my dear dad, who throughout my teenage and early adolescent years, has relentlessly opposed my criticism to the system, the banks and our politicians, always giving them the benefit of the doubt. I think about him, sitting on his favourite chair (his back is a bit sensible to armchairs), watching the news and listening about how all these bankers and their golden boys are about to put their "gentlemen" hands on his hard-worked earnings, in order to re-assure him of his savings. And I think about him listening to this "agreement of gentlemen" realizing that throughout his working life, no rule was ever bent for him, no bureaucratic procedure was ever speeded up to assist him, no small letters were ever written to his benefit, no bill was ever passed to make things easier for him. And I just wonder if he -tired and weary as he must be growing in his age- gets the wrong idea and thinks that all of this was never done for him because he is not a gentleman. I am worried with him considering the bloodsucking, mobster-like bankers with their obvious hand-shaking and the behind-doors hand-kissing to be the real gentlemen, while in fact he is more of a gentleman than all of them together will ever be.

There's nothing worse than being deceived at the end of your years and I am worried about my father, too worried that he might be deceived. And I can simply wish they never get to him and that someone gets to them first.

It may be that I am talking nonsense once more, that I am missing the point, that I understand nothing about economy or politics. That I am acting like a small kid who somehow gets the feeling his dad is being treated un-rightfully and is pissed off.
But then again, I think it is very healthy to get pissed off every now and then.