Stupid comparisons

Today is Monday and my visit to London is almost over. There are still plenty of things and to be done and people to see, but I have to admit that it is vastly different than the last time I came over, exactly last year, again on the same pretences (the WTM fair). Although I admire and envy even more aspects of London as a city and it's people, I cannot help but have that gut feeling that I do not belong here anymore. It seems that time has had it's way and I have mentally settled in Athens. Whether that is a good or a bad thing, is not really important, contrary to that awkward situation where you feel a stranger in a place where you used to feel like home.

I have always felt that a person's mood and morale are in effect impervious to his/her physical environment and more influenced by the social environment. However, I do have to admit, that in the case of an urban environment, it is very hard to distinguish between the two; after all it is the city's people that build the roads and the buildings, run them and maintain them. So,what can I say about my moods in contrast to London and Athens? Not much, apart from one undeniable truth that possibly epitomizes the differences between the 2 cities.

Contrary to Athens, London is a city where capitalism actually works; or better said, works better. If you are in Athens, and you are recycling, you are considered odd, if you work hard, you are considered a fool, if you don't cheat in you taxes you are naive, if you give to charity, you are accused of alleviating your guilt, if you pick up that can of coke someone else dropped in the road, you are thought of as dirty. In London, you are rewarded for all of the above. There is a much more straightforward relationship between what is required, what is done, and what the aftermath is. You work hard, you get a promotion or a bonus. You start recycling and others start too, and everyone is considered responsible without however increasing the consumption fo good just cause they recycle them. You go out for a pint in the local pub, and you are treated like an equal, and not as unwanted clientele just because you have a scruffy face. If you write a complaint to an organization, you actually do get a response.

Lawful cause and effect is much more of a principal factor in the way of live both in England and London specifically compared to the social chaos that Greece represents. Of course London is not paradise; it is harder to get by and many aspects of the 'quality of life' (whatever that is) can easily be said to be lower, while Athens has plenty of nice aspects that foreigners adore when they visit, and us indigenous people easily forget. Yet, I think it is important, whether it may be London, Munich, Barcelona, or what other place you might think of and visit, that we identify not the 'what' (plazas, streets, beaches etc.) or 'who' (statues, paintings...) or even the 'why' (history and economy) but rather the 'how'; the underlying social and mental web drives people in developing and participating in their environment, may it be social or physical. You see, traveling is essentially an act of cultural exchange and not a leisure facility, or at least that is what I think it should be. But that will probably go to an another post, related of course to the WTM fair...

P.S. It is really good to have friends....