Dirty Tuesday

Aghia Para-stinky 3/08, L. Trecroce

I knew I was taking a risk, but I had to. Of course I prayed before I went. Have you looked at the above photo and guessed that I risked my health by going outside? Well, yeah that too. P U! But no, I was talking about using the elevator in our apartment building to run my groceries upstairs. I risked the chance of getting stuck in a blackout.

Here in Greece, public sector workers have been on strike for over a week, protesting pension reforms. Employees of the electric company, DEH, viciously instituted unannounced "rolling" blackouts that have wreaked major economic havoc and resulted in deaths. No electricity, no traffic lights or street lights. We saw a bad car accident on a major thoroughfare en route to my in-laws yesterday. And one woman took a fatal fall down a ravine after a sudden blackout caused her to lose her bearings on a bridge. Hundreds of individuals and businesses are suing DEH. The government is basically twiddling its thumbs.

The strike reminds me of the following poem by Walt Huntley of Ontario, Canada:

IF GOD SHOULD GO ON STRIKE

It's just a good thing God above has never gone on strike.
Because He wasn't treated fair on things He didn't like
If He had only once sat down and said "That's it --I'm through.
I've had enough of those on Earth; so this is what I'll do.
I'll give my orders to the sun, cut off the heat supply,
And to the moon, give no more light and run your oceans dry.
Then, just to really make it tough and put the pressure on,
Turn off the air and oxygen till every breath is gone."

Do you know He would be justified if fairness were the game?
For no one has been more abused or treated with disdain
Than God--and yet He carries on supplying you and me
With all the favors of His grace and everything--for free.
Men say they want a better deal and so on strike they go,
But what a deal we've given God whom everything we owe.
We don't care who we hurt or harm to gain the things we like,
But what a mess we'd all be in if God should go on strike.

Kesariani 3/08, L. Trecroce

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