On his album *Fortigo*, Dionysis Savvopoulos wrote the famous line, «And the moment comes when you have to decide who you’ll go with and who you’ll leave behind.» You see, «maintaining an equal distance’ is all well and good, but history is written by those who are present and by those who take a stand—and it is by that stand that they are judged.

So I’m watching from a «safe distance» as events unfold on my beloved Kythira, and I want to express my solidarity with those who refuse to settle for mediocrity, in complacency, in the «I’ll pull the snake out of the hole» mentality, in the «why get involved now» attitude, and in many other similar expressions.

-I stand in solidarity (and will soon be there in person) with all those who side with justice for the many rather than with the few authorities who act unjustly.

-I stand in solidarity with all those who devote their time, their ingenuity, and their imagination to bringing color to an island that has been dominated by «gray» for many months.

-I stand in solidarity with those who are not deterred by «anonymous» accusations, but stand alongside all those happy little faces who run, cycling, shouting, falling in love, dancing, and imagining their lives in a better world.

-I stand firm against all those who know nothing beyond «it’s forbidden» and «you know who I am, man»…

-I stand firm against all those who see not life but obstacles even in trees.

-I take a firm stand against all those who have learned to hide behind «anonymous accusations,» perhaps because darkness is their natural habitat.

I am taking a stand and standing alongside those who are fighting to move our country forward. These are the people who may not be familiar with all the bureaucratic requirements (they’ll learn those, too), but they certainly know that what they’re doing is for the good of us all.

I take a stand and join this vibrant group of young people and the young at heart who bring color to our lives, who get us off the couch, and who envision a better tomorrow.

As Albert Einstein once said, «If you want to live a happy life, make it depend on a goal, not on people or things.».