Editorial Ta Nea: Optimism

The conditions that have developed due to the Covid-19 pandemic are like nothing we have seen before.

In facing the crisis Greek society is standing united and has not panicked.

That is the best possible omen as regards the outcome of a battle that is just beginning.

In the midst of a long and difficult struggle our society appears to have comprehended that composure, maturity, and discipline are its best allies.

Of course the public health crisis is different in nature than the economic crisis that Greece has already suffered, yet the memory of it is too fresh to repeat the same mistakes.

During the full-blown economic depression the divisions that dominated the political system and their spread had serious repercussions on society.

The trust of citizens in institutions was shaken and emotion prevailed over logic.

The country teetered between unfounded hope and extreme pessimism.

All sense of measure was lost.

The situation today is entirely different.

While in other countries that have been known for the maturity of their societies people are emptying supermarket shelves and price gouging is rampant, Greeks are exhibiting an exceptional sense of measure.

This is not only because the memory of the divisions and panic of the bailout memorandum era is very recent.

It is also because trust in institutions and authorities has been restored.

That accounts for the fact that Greece managed to pass the first hurdle in confronting an unrelenting attack which large countries with a tradition of organisation and inordinately larger economies, such as the US and the UK, failed to do.

The road ahead is long and arduous.

Still, we can be relatively optimistic because at least we got off to a good start in this struggle for survival.