Posted Dec. 2009
Greece is in the focus of interest and the much-discussed crisis reveals reliably: everything is connected with everything. Pythagoras already recognized this.
Starting from this realization it becomes clear that Greece can master problems only together with those who are involved. National indebtedness with similar effect as the bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers is the result of a wrong national consciousness by a system, where profits are privatized and losses are socialized. Lack of democratic control opens all gates for corruption and mismanagement. This is not only a Greek phenomenon and problem, but generally at least by the European Union bureaucracy. However, A big problem has arisen from the fact that this pacifistic country has the highest military expenditure per head.
Naturally a recovery of the lack is not possible without strong participation of Greece itself. We have to go back finally to the roots of the evil. Continuous fraud and mismanagement in the public sector led a country, weak of innovation, into a big crisis. Deliveries and taxes were drastically increased, but only little steps are really done. The large fortunes still are not touched; the people only carry the load. Many of the few thousands wealthy people are not willing to do their contribution for the society and their necessary development. Whole industries are traditionally excluded from taxation -there are large potentials.
A further way would be additional support of education, art and culture by a simplification of the foundation laws and a complete release for amounts of foundation and donations for the. The blind pride on cultural values of the antiquity, without promoting these and contemporary efforts effectively, may not have place anymore in the Greek policy.
Within a really social and democratic European Union it should be also possible to receive foundations and donations from other countries of the European Union honored by tax reductions. Straight for Greece, whose people live approximately 50% in Europe and overseas, it would particularly boosted welfare.
At last the crisis will give the possibility to think about a renewal of societies. Democracy can function only if social justice is possible. Economic prosperity and lastingness can proceed in the long term only by a well-educated society, which take part also on the economical benefits.
| All this is part of a cycle, which secures a surviving of mankind. It seem to be clear, there will be no lasting peace, as long as the mistrust remains the prevailing and all other edging out norm. Cultural ignorance is the mostly incriminating factor, which sows mistrust between us. The increasing efforts towards a peaceful and greener planet go to the vacuousness if we treat contemptuous the same time the human achievements, which are foreign to us.
Just the discovery and use of cultural resources rescues an immense potential for the economic and social development in itself. The non-profit Artforum Culture Foundation exerts itself for these targets and gives its contribution by own projects, co-operations and by interlinking with artists, galleries, collectors and as well as with museums and art organisations. |