Sunday, August 30, 2009

God Bless Georgia

There are some things that you have been told over and over again, understood, but never quite fully assimilated until you try them on your own skin. During my month in Georgia I finally tried on my skin a number of things that I used to take for granted without fully knowing them... so here they are, in no particular order:
  • You never quite fully appreciate the immense challenges of measuring a meter squared before starting an archaeological dig.
  • You also never fully appreciate the concept of dust before starting an archaeological dig.
  • Homo Sapiens Sapiens is one single species all over the world, and despite small cultural differences (which make the exploration all the more interesting tbh) we are all essentially the same..
  • ... as a result I now firmly believe that if a good percentage of individuals would take the trouble to go in a different country and spend a period of time sharing their lives with people there we might be able to have no more wars.
  • The problem with this is governments. But that is precisely why we need to get rid of them and find a better solution.
  • The less you have the more generous you are.
  • The Georgian way, is better than any other way I've experienced so far.
  • Western countries lack (and terribly so!) in human contact, listening, generosity, altruism, social grooming and all that.
  • There is no money in the world that could ever buy nights spent with friends drinking and toasting for everything that matters.
  • Karl Marx might have had a nice idea but the most famous attempt to put it into practice not only was an epic failure but also a way of destroying culture and diversity.
  • When all animals are equal some animals are always more equal than others.
  • When equality is imposed it means been all equal in misery.. you really need to see the Georgian landscape scattered with grey concrete houses which are all identical to understand this.
  • Now finally Communism is dead and we can all feel free to drink Coke and go to MacDonalds, or better, drink coke in MacDonalds.
  • Or in other words, there is something in the human nature that makes us want to be all the same, but only if we have the illusion of being free to chose to be homologated.
  • My defense walls of cynicism, egoism and strength can be broken down. Indeed they have been destroyed and - amazingly enough- not only I've survived but I'm also probably a better person.
  • There is something in the human nature that makes you want to spend your life with one and only one person. Even if the world is full of fit rugby players. Even if that would make you spend less time with your friends and put some limits to your freedom.
  • "Sometimes love just ain't enough"
  • God exists.
John Barleycorn must die.