Month: May 2006

I am finished with this trip’s archeological jaunts.

I arrived in the central Greece mountain resort town of Delphi yesterday. My bus from Athens took about 3 1/2 hours and as the terrain changed, so did the people. Greece is the Queen of the Balkan peninsula, but the islands, Crete, and the south belong to another, easier world. Here in the mountains the air is cooler and there is more of an ‘old world’ feel to much of the real surroundings. I say ‘real’ to differentiate between that and the tourist culture that thrives throughout Greece, and indeed, any nation. Delphi is not unique in this respect.

Nearby Mt. Parnassos, with its large European styled ski resort, is the primary draw for much of the area. The other attraction is the remains of the spiritual city that was ancient Delphoi. This is where the Oracle lived, was consulted, and eventually faded out around 60 AD. Asking a question of the Oracle would lead to a deceptively ambigious answer, leaving the interpretation and result in the hands of often arrogant and powerful politicians and generals. Not much has changed in the world. The same coterie is running the show, I think.

In the late 19th century, French archeologists unearthed some remains on the current, then overgrown, site. The French government then ‘bought’ the surrounding area with a promise to the Greek government to purchase the entire Greek currant crop. They then persuaded the populace who were living there to pull up stakes and move the entire modern town about a kilometer away. They used the army to help them out in this task. Hmmm…

The result is a new Delphi, made up of inexpensive, alpine-like hotels, numerous restaurants mostly serving the same over-priced mediocre food, and a population entirely geared towards the tourist trade. It’s OK, seeing that 40% of the Greek population is involved in tourism somehow.

The site is stupendous, however, with the ruins of many temples, a stunning theater, and an equally impressive stadium. This is all nestled on the mountainside overlooking a deep, lush, valley planted with olive groves and stretching all the way down to the Bay of Corinth and the port town of Itea, visible in the distance. This and the very nice museum (minus Itea) can all be seen in a day, which is precisely what I did this morning. I was finished by 1PM and napping by 1:30.

The town, however, is crawling with tourists, mostly Americans, who refuse to learn any Greek. Instead the speak loudly and with sharp tones, thinking that this will improve the service. They ask for food without cheese, low-fat things, and all the strange customs we have in the US. Perhaps they would have been happier staying at home and watching a movie of the place. I certainly keep my distance from them.

So, tomorrow I head back to Athens, looking forward to some meetings, fellowship, and souvlaki that actually constitutes a meal. I’ll be staying at the home of a friend in the program until I leave Tuesday morning, flying back to America. I expect to have all kinds of trouble coming back into the US since I chose the extremely legal option of traveling on my EU passport while abroad. It’s an electronic passport, so it doesn’t have any stamps, only the e-signature from customs in Italy and Greece. Whatever. The TSA is not a very bright group of pencil pushers anyway, so why should I expect anything less?

Next stop, Athens, and perhaps another entry before I land on American soil…

Johnnyboy

The convention was lovely. 450 people, representing 33 countries, and a sobriety adding up to over 2000 years. Really amazing, when you think about it. There were some important revalations this time for me which have, and will, effect me, I hope, for the rest of my life. Last year the knowledge that if I didn’t go to AA I would die, but without me AA would probably continue, was the epiphany. This year it had to do more with service, responsibility, and anonymity.
Our ‘Responsibilty Clause’ states that “When anyone…reaches out for help…”. It says nothing about me making a quick assumption that someone actually needs my help. It’s up to them to ask, and until then, I must respect their path, no matter how confused or wrong I feel they are. Everyone has the right to become lost and perhaps find their own way. When they ask, I’ll try to help.
The same goes for me accepting help from others. If someone offers their assitance, I should take it, and lose the cavalier attitude which seperated me from the world. These new (for me) ideas have certainly lifted a great weight of ‘responsibility’ off of my narrow shoulders and freed me from, yet again, more bondage of self.
In the realm of service, the above principle plays out in the relationship with my sponsee. If the guy can’t ask for help, it’s not up to me to enable his inability by picking up his pieces. I have my own jigsaw puzzle to construct, thank you very much, and should not try to assemble someone else’s.
Anonymity is the foundation of our society and all of our steps and traditions. It insures humility and focuses our work on principles rather than personalities. In one of the groups I attend at home, some of the members are very inquisitive about my personal life in regards to money, past history, and so on. This really bugs me. The lesson I learned this past weekend solved that dilemma right quick. Without going into details (of which I know virtually nothing), there was a well known musician from Texas at the convention. He had been sober for quite some time, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who recognized him. I have his records. I have seen him play live. I have listened to his music for years. You would know his name as well if I told you, but that is none of my business. In the greater, more real, and humble, scheme of things, he was just another drunk trying to stay sober and enjoying the anonymity that the program affords. It is obvious that in the case of a famous person anonymity keeps us all in line. But what about a drunk like me? The same rules apply and the same anonymity keeps me safe from the curiosity and jealousies that may arise from such breaches of privacy. So thanks, Billy, for the lesson in reality, and may your future work be inspired by your Higher Power.
I know that I am not alone in these revelatory experiences, for I was witness to many close at hand and within my own circle of friends throughout the weekend. There was joy, pain, laughter, tears, and fantastic conversations about fear, love, letting go, and working harder at just being ourselves.
When the convention closed I left with a small crew to the nearby island of Hydra, where we had a fantastic meeting in a restaurant overlooking the lovely natural harbor. I have decided to stay here on Hydra forever (just kidding, I think), where there are absolutley no ancient ruins, until Friday (it is currently Tuesday afternoon at 6:50) when I will catch the Hydrofoil back to Athens, immediately board a bus for the ancient site of Delphi, and spend the weekend consulting the Oracle. On Monday I’ll return to Athens, stay the night at the home of an AA friend, and board my plane back to the US early Tuesday morning. At least that’s the plan. We’ll see how it all pans out.

Johnnyboy