HITCH HIKING RITUAL IN EUROPE. In summer, a multitude of youths, hitch-hiking , crisscrossing the continent, in search of themselves, in search of one another, to see what the world is about. Life experienced from the view point of the have-nots.  They carry minimal cash,  for meals and youth hostel fees .Prepared to sleeping in open fields, and trekking on foot and exchanging manual labor for hospitality. The majority are college students. I was one of them. This is our self imposed rite of passage toward humaness. The tradition of hospitality is respected in  these parts of the world.  The locals often time went beyond the call of duty .

We are 4, setting out from Paris, to Italy and Greece.  by now,  approaching Athens.   soon it will be dark. we prepare to camp in the fields for the night. a VW stops, already filled with boxes.  somehow 4 people get sardined in! on our way to Athens. bad news, the youth hostel is full.  Never mind,  our driver is going to give us shelter, his apartment is tiny, we can sleep on the terrace.  we get cleaned up then he invites us to dinner in a taverna, in the outskirsts of athens.  Next morning, we prepare to go back to youth hostel, he calls  me  aside  he has to go on a trip for one week, we can stay till he comes back. the concierge will bring ice daily for the ice box and there is some cash in the drawer for emergency.  I told my friends: “over my dead body, nobody is touching the money in the drawer”. we are on our way to the islands, before our host’s return. we want to pay the concierge for the ice and some tip. she refuses. I send our host a thank you letter from Paris. His kindness is forever in my mind. Greece is forever in my heart.

Greece, the cradle of western civilization has become prey to corruption and greed .

Now the whole nation is put to shame.  the country is on the verge of bankruptcy. Next, Spain Portugal Italy. I am crying for Greece and for the world. The Euro and intereuropean monetary system was created supposedly to unify europe and bring prosperity world wide. Instead it has become the playground of international finance experts, whose sole purpose is to defleece the people and sell out their own country. Each of us is responsible for giving them their power to harm and do evil.  each of us can put a stop to this abuse of power.

today,  Greece, tomorrow Italy and Spain, next week  America ?