If you have Greek descent and care about Greece’s future, you almost always fall into one of two camps: either, you are eager to propel Greece further into a Pan-European identity with Western ideology and policy reigning supreme, or you are a protectionist like me who believes that Greece has a unique history, language, culture, heritage and spiritual life that has stood the test of time and ought to be preserved for future generations of Greeks to come.
This school of thought is not as outdated and dormant as one might think. All across the flourishing Diaspora, which numbers well above five million and includes the top four hubs of America, Canada, Australia, and Germany, young Hellenes revere and celebrate their ethnic ties to the Greek nation. And, as we grow older, rediscovering the richness of our roots leads us to contemplate moving back to Greece and completing the circle our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents kickstarted when they left Greece for greater economic prospects in the Western world.
But that was several decades ago, and the America my grandparents sought out has long since been replaced with a country of increasing polarization, economic instability, and a suicide rate that triples Greece’s. All of these truths and more lead many like me to hold firm the belief that the old world our recent ancestors left can become new again, and it can provide Greece with new economic opportunities, patriotism, and ideals of cultural preservation, plus a new generation of young Greeks to combat the burgeoning population collapse that recently plunged Greece’s population below 10 million for the first time since 1984.
When I refer to the “old world,” I am using the term that Spanish, British, French and other European explorers used to distinguish their home countries from the Americas when they were “discovered” during the late 1400’s and 1500’s, earning the comparative title of “ the new world.” As members of the Greek Diaspora, whether we were born in America, Australia, Canada or another Western country, we all grew up in the new world. However, given our strong ties to Greek heritage and culture, KTE believes that the Greek nation is our birthright, and we all have the opportunity to reunite with the soil that has sustained countless generations of our ancestors in their preservation of Hellenism.
To that end, many of my counterclaims to the notion that Greece simply must leave its past behind and embrace a larger ideology of globalism include the following question to my opponents: “Since when has Greece belonged to everybody?” Anyone with a reasonable account of history would have to acknowledge that Greeks as a nation of people – which is distinctly different from being a state with defined borders – have possessed a shared identity that is sacred, united in its allegiance to Orthodox Christianity for the past 2,000 years, and this unique identity endures today in modern-day Greece.
I am so passionate about popularizing this worldview because times are changing quickly, and forces that seek to destroy unique cultures across the globe are turning their attention towards breaking down Greece from within: through economic subordination, demographic replacement, and military suppression, such as the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
Given how these forces are materializing and crippling Greece from within, KTE plans to continue using its platform to call upon the Hellenic Diaspora, to rally in support of our homeland and fortify its roots with a focused defense of Greek identity. If you have the means, and you dream of one day returning to your roots, you aren’t alone. For freedom, faith and fatherland, the old world is becoming new again, and our intent is to lead Greece’s rightful return to glory.
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