Searching for Utopia

I do not remember if I have ever provided details as to where I have lived so far. I guess I must have told you that I was born and raised in Greece, then spent several years in the United Kingdom before moving to the Americas. Do not expect detailed information as to my whereabouts since this is a private matter and at the end of the day it is irrelevant.

What is important is that I have traveled around the Western World and lived in a few places. So the question is: Where is the best place to live? I am certain that when somebody imposes such a question, the reply is yet another question: What it is that you want and what are your priorities?

These are all legitimate questions and indeed, they have to be answered first before one decides upon the best place to live. So let me try to do some soul searching and find where it is I would like to live and, of course, what I think about the places I have lived so far.

Probably, like most people I need a balance. I would like the place to be safe, to be close to various amenities, close to work, close to art, close to a major airport. Of course, the weather has to be nice too. Needless to say that the people should be nice and drive like human beings and not like a bunch of monkeys who think that their vehicle is an extension of their pipis. Let's start then.

I guess I have to start with my first place, none other than Athens (Greece, neither Georgia nor Ontario). With the exception of a few red necks, most people have heard of the capital of Greece, the centre of Western Civilisation. Who hasn't heard of the Acropolis or of a notion called democracy? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, democracy was not born in the US. It is yet another ancient Greek discovery. I presume that Ancient Athens was indeed a different place 2,000 years ago. What about now? How is Pericles' city today? (For those who are not aware, Pericles was in charge of Athens when the Parthenon was built).

Let me tell you that if Pericles was alive today he would have had a freaking heart attack. Athens is a city of 4 million people cramped into small apartments like sardines. It is polluted and dirty but most importantly the Athenians are rude and abnoxious little pricks. Do not get me wrong. I love going back to visit my friends and family. However, I dare not to drive there and I know that most probably I'll have an argument with some moron as I am trying to come out of the metro while the 500 pounds orka-fat stinky arsehole is pushing me inside because he wants to get in first. Guess what mother-faker? How do you expect to get in unless I get out first? Are you retarded or what?

Everytime I visit Athens I curse myself. People live on the edge and are ready for a fight. Swearing is part of everyday life there. I am so glad I decided to leave that place; and so I did for the Great British Isles. I ended up spending several years there: initially as a student, later as a worker. My thinking changed so drastically and I opened my mind to things I never thought possible. I stopped believing that Greece was the centre of the Earth. Perhaps once, may be, but definitely not anymore. I realised the religious brain washing I was exposed to as a kid in Greece and I finally found out that homosexuals were actually decent human beings.

It is true that Great Britain is a more liberal country than Greece and has a more diverse population.That helped me to see the world from a different perspective, and to this day, I am proud to have lived there. However, I also saw some things which, to this day, I struggle to accept. The class system in Britain is very strong. When people say that they are from the 'working class' they really mean it. They are rough and poor with a strange accent. If you ever watched 'Eastenders' you would know what I mean. People will start a fight and punch the crap out of others because it is fun. They would get drunk, really drunk, for no apparent reason but to get drunk. I mean what the fak is that? Why can't you just go out and have a couple of drinks without getting hammered and/or start a fight? And on top of that, you are an arrogant son-of-a-bitch because once upon a time your country had an empire? Frankly, if it was not for the Americans and the Russians, all the Brits would be speaking German now.

Therefore, spare me from this superiority complex of yours and go and kiss some American booty. It is not a coincidence that the United Kingdom is considered to be the 53^rd State (with Canada and Israel being the 51^st and 52^nd, respectively). So, after all those years in Britain I decided that it was time for another jump. This time I crossed the Atlantic, for the Americas. I landed a nice job in a good company. The job was definitely interesting and challenging. Everything was new. The place, the people, the job, the banking system, the cellular network. I mean what the fak? Why do I have to pay to use my bank account or to receive calls on my cell? Who thought of that, and most importantly why do people accept such crap? Those things were frankly unheard of in England.

However, this is what happens when there is no strong governmental regulation. It is the same deregulation that had brought the US economy to its knees together with the rest of the world. But it is not only that. Things here are just bigger than in Europe. I understand that there is more space in N. America but why do we have to drive a 3.7 lt gas guzzler? People here suffer from isolationism and have an element of do-not-give-a-fak about the rest of the world. 

Overall, I can go on and on about the negative and positive aspects of Greece, Great Britain, Europe and the Americas. However, I start to realise that, sadly there is no utopia. There is no perfect place to live. Wherever you choose to be, the system and people will just find ways to piss you off. I am almost certain that even if I chose to live in Denmark, which is supposed to be the happiest nation on the planet, there will be issues with that country. So, perhaps, the best thing to do is to move around. Why do we have to stay in one place? Why do we have to be considered Greeks, British, Danish, or Americans? Why not, citizens of Earth? Our planet is so small and so fragile. If we need an element of belonging, then, surely, belonging on this planet and being a part of the human race should suffice.

Why do we need to be a part of a close group? Haven't we suffered enough as a result of this mentality? The attrocities commited over thousands of years, just because we belong to a different group. That is enough. It is time to realise that we are all part of this small planet. We are all humans. It does not matter where I was born or where I choose to live. Every place is unique and has something to offer.

Maybe, just maybe, it is time for the human race to evolve a little bit more and realise that the utopia is called Earth, the cradle of our civilisation.