[bitymnmictada]

Dear Eleftheria,

I see you are also based in Cyprus! I am in Nicosia.

I recently visited Turkey, from Constantinople down the west coast to Smyrna, where the events of 1922 took place. I went there because I wanted to see the Ancient Greek, and particularly the Byzantine sites of interest.

I did get a sad sense of the Greek community in Constantinople and the Christian sites in general, especially the Orthodox Christian, being in decline, or at the very least not being given the honour they deserve. I was astonished by the extent in which the face of Ataturk dominated everything: his picture is literally everywhere. The Turks are clearly proud of their country and their civilisation, and the Turkish government, judging from the pictures and statues and memorials of Ataturk and other national figures, no doubt cashes in on people's national pride - Turkey is also a country where there is great and apparent division between the rich and the poor, the haves and have-nots. For example, in the city of Bursa, I noticed a crippled man who could only "walk" by dragging his lifeless body along using his arms; this shabbily dressed man was begging drivers on the motorway for money. This was in the industrial area of the town, which was also shabby and ugly. I confess it breaks my heart that people actually live in these conditions. As tourists, we didn't stay in this part of the town of course. Our hotel was a five-star place in the "nice" part of Bursa - very near one of Ataturk's glorious residences.

I learned a lot on this trip. I learned not to hate the Turks, or any of God's children. I learned that they are as near-sighted in their national pride as we are. Nationality and ethnicity become idols, exactly at the point where we cease to see our neighbour as a human being.

I also learned that history is one of the most important lessons in the school curriculum. No doubt both Turkish children and Greek children have not always been given fair readings in history by their teachers. So injustices on both sides ought to be fairly and objectively reported and made public. We can't even have a football match between our countries without fights and indignities, and that's nothing to be proud of!

Another observation I would like to make, painful as it is in one sense to admit, is that we Greeks and Greek-Cypriots tend to blame everybody but ourselves for the disasters that befall us: its not us, its the Turks, or the Israelis, or the Americans. I'm not saying there aren't any political agendas there; but don't we all sadly have political agendas in this fallen world? And how fair are we to one another within the national frontiers even of our own countries? Do we treat one another with the love and justice we are created to offer, and which we complain our "enemies" have not shown us?

Even from a purely secular viewpoint, objectivity and fairness in our dealings with our neighbours (and this includes the views we hold about us and them) is important; how much more important is it then for Christians to love their enemies, while of course at the same time protecting their mother Church and all its members?

In Christ
Byron

P.S. I just wish to point out that I ascribe to no particular political party here in Cyprus or abroad. If I have a "political" agendain writing this, it's the fact that I am myself of mixed origin (half Greek-Cypriot, half English-Jewish), and therefore I wish to be respectful to the ancestors and heritage of all people everywhere.