Modern Greece and the Macedonian Heritage Part 26 The Unconvinced
Risto Stefov
June 27, 2009
This article is dedicated to all those "good natured", "kind" Macedonians who try so hard to "convince" the Greeks that "Macedonians really do exist" and "Macedonians are people too and should be treated with respect".
Welcome to my world!
I am ashamed to admit it but I too was once like you. I thought that by explaining myself I could get Greeks to listen to my side of the story and surely they could also see things my way and we could reach a "common understanding".
I spent the better of my last thirty years trying to accomplish just that by taking the time to explain to the Greeks that "yes, Macedonians do exist and here is proof" only to be ridiculed and insulted even more. Unfortunately, to this day, I am sorry to say that I have not convinced even a single Greek of anything. Why? Have I not been truthful and forward with them? Have I not provided enough evidence to them? No!
The problem here is not with "me" or with "us" not trying hard enough or not being forward enough, the problem is that Greeks are "brought up" believing that, with the contradictory information which we provide to them, we "intend" to bring them harm. From the moment a Greek is born they are taught to believe that we are their enemy out to rob and murder them and steal their heritage. They are suspicious of everyone, the "Slavs" (whoever they may be), the Bulgarians, the Turks and the Americans and particularly of us who call ourselves Macedonian. The Greek educational system and the Greek Church have brainwashed them to believe that Macedonians donīt exist and those of us who say we are Macedonians are doing this to bring them harm and to steal "their" Macedonia from under them. Naturally they donīt know their true history and have no clue how they acquired Macedonia. They donīt even know that they are not "real" Greeks either.
Most Modern Greeks, at least the ones I dealt with in the past, no matter what we tell them will not believe us, not only because it contradicts what they learned from their government sponsored educational system and from the Greek Church but because, in the back of their minds, lurks the fear and suspicion that "we are out to get them", to do them harm, to steal their Macedonia from under them or to rob them of their "precious" heritage. Also, above and beyond their programming to be "suspicious", Greeks are programmed to believe that they are "superior" to us on account of being told that they are the descendents of the "superior ancient Greeks"; an ancient race of racists and xenophobes turned demigods by the Philhellenes of the 19th century.
In addition to being programmed to be frightfully suspicious, Modern Greeks are also programmed to be "all knowing" and "egotistical". A combination such as this not only makes them "not want to listen to us" but they feel the need to lecture us, to educate us about "who we are" and they do that with an air of arrogance and with a superior attitude. Greeks are not the kind of people who would give an impression of "doubt" or "uncertainty" about anything or would take kindly to you telling them your side of the story especially when it contradicts theirs. Greeks do not need to provide "real" proof of anything, "Greek logic" will suffice and their word alone is proof enough. This is why they go along using meaningless slogans like "Macedonia is Greek" but have no idea how, why, when, or how much of "Macedonia became Greek".
Anything you say that contradicts their understanding of history, particularly about Macedonia, will be met with fierce vitriolic opposition full of overconfidence and spite. Normal law abiding, kind Greeks will turn into raving lunatics just by mentioning that you are Macedonian. Macedonians from Greece are used to this but Macedonians from the Republic of Macedonia and non-Macedonians find it shocking.
Dear Macedonians, from what I have told you so far, what chance do you think you have of ever convincing a Greek of anything? So why waste your time trying? Take it from someone who has been there, donīt waste your time!
Apart from wasting your time, you are also being distracted and mislead to fall into the classic "Greek trap" from which there is no escape of being drawn into nonsensical discussions about who was who 2,000 years ago. The only thing Greeks are good at discussing is ambiguity and mythology!
Our "beef", if I can call it that, with the Greeks is not about what happened two thousand years ago but about what has happened since 1912 and 1913 when our country was invaded, occupied and partitioned by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria without our consent. Talking and debating about who was who and what happened two thousand years ago is a "Greek distraction", a ploy to keep us busy and away from discussing and learning about more recent and tragic events like the atrocities committed by the Modern Greeks against the Macedonian people.
The changing of all our names, the banning of our language, the non-recognition of our ethnic identity, the confiscation of our lands, the exiling of our people including innocent children, the torture of our people in their concentration camps, the killing of our people, the burning of our villages, the destruction of our books, monuments and cemeteries, and so on are the real issues that we should be discussing with the Greeks. These are important issues that we need to bring to the forefront!
The next time you are confronted by a Greek asking a rhetorical question "demanding to know what language Alexander the Great spoke" think about what is more important (1) to debate a nonsensical issue that will lead you into an endless "cyclical trap", or (2) to say leave ancient history to the ancient historians and letīs talk about what you Greeks have done to us Macedonians since 1912!
I know it is unfair to "paint all Greeks with the same racist brush" and I apologize to those who are not like that but please prove me wrong! Stand out in the crowd and say "I am a Greek and I understand and support you Macedonians", give me a reason to also say something good about you!
Why do Greeks behave this way? This is a question that I have struggled with for the last decade. To get a real appreciation as to why "Modern Greeks" behave the way they do we need to understand some things about their predecessors before they were "made" into "Modern Greeks" by their Philhellene patrons.
The quest for creating a "Modern Greece" began in late 18th century; years after the Arabs in Spain made Western Europeans aware that an "ancient civilization" existed in the Region of Morea, modern day Peloponnesus. Although the Western Europeans had learned much about this civilizationīs accomplishments, they had no plans to use them until the late 18th century when a need arose to develop an all exclusive European Civilization. Unfortunately the "ancient civilization", which declined with the Macedonian conquests in the fourth century BC, had completely ceased to exist. But two thousand years later that did not stop the Philhellenes from attempting to resurrect it.
Not completely satisfied with its disappearance, the Philhellenes were confident that they could recreate their civilization if only they could "train" the local people who lived on the same lands to behave and imitate the ancients. In their zeal to "create" such a civilization, the 19th century Philhellenes "convinced, coaxed, coerced, or bribed" the living and vibrant local cultures to "give up" their true "ethnic and cultural identities" for the promise of becoming "Greeks", something supposedly "bigger", "better" and "more glorious" than what they already had. Naturally there was opposition to this but those opposing lost out in the end. So in order to protect their investment from "being eroded" the Philhellenes surrounded it with a number of "defensive mechanisms"; one of these being the instilment of mistrust in the new generations. Through the educational system and through the Greek Church new generations of Greeks were taught to "mistrust" those who opposed or strayed away from the Philhellene indoctrination. Two centuries later this defense mechanism is still active and working as expected.
To keep those who signed on as "Greeks" to stay on as "Greeks" and to attract new "Modern Greeks" the first generation of "Neo-Hellenes", with help from the Philhellenic Academia, not only gave Modern Greece a glorious past but convinced the New-Greeks that they were "truly" the descendants of the Ancient people who once created that "sought after" civilization.
After creating the tiny Greek Kingdom and consolidating their power the "Neo-Hellenes", with help from the Philhellene patrons, continued the process of incorporating new lands and new people into the Modern Greek fold. Since its inception in 1829 the Greek State has incorporated Thessaly, Epirus, Crete, 51% of Macedonia, Thrace, the Dodecanese Islands, etc. It would have also incorporated Asia Minor but its ambitions were cut short by its catastrophic defeat by Modern Turkey. Now that the Republic of Macedonia has become independent, removed from the clutches of Serbia, Greece is developing new taste for old ambitions and the wish to incorporate another 39% of Macedonia into its Greek fold. If that is not the case then why advertise to the world that "Macedonia is Greek"?
In its greed to expand its territory and assimilate people into its Hellenic fold, to date, Modern Greece has swallowed up and assimilated the Albanians and Slavs of Morea, the Albanians of Epirus, the Vlachs of Thessaly, the Macedonians of 51% of Macedonia, the Cretans from Crete, the Turks from Thrace and the Christian Turks from Asia Minor, not to mention the Roma, Latin, Armenian, Baltic, Russian and other ethnic groups living in Greece today.
Of all the ethnic groups assimilated into the Modern Greek "phenomenon" the Macedonians are the most dangerous and pose the greatest threat to Greece. This is because of two important factors.
First, by the 1920īs Macedonia was divided into four pieces and was given to Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania. What was once a single ethnic Macedonian entity became four diametrically opposed entities separated by artificial borders. Macedonians have not only not forgotten this but they can hardly accept that their kin over the "false" border are now "ethnically different" from themselves. Macedonians cannot accept being "51% Greeks", "39% Serbians", "10% Bulgarians" and "some small" percentage Albanians; all at the same time.
Second, Macedonians has an illustrious history with deep roots and traditions that extend to ancient times. Modern Macedonians, irrespective of which country they live in today, are well aware of their history and their attempt over the centuries to free themselves from their occupiers and restore their united, free and independent Macedonia.
Macedonians have no collective memory of ever "coming to Macedonia" from somewhere else. They do however have traditions that extend well into ancient times. Modern Macedonians on many occasions through history exhibited traditions associated not only with the exploits of the Ancient Macedonians but also with the development and spread of Christianity and culture all throughout Eastern Europe. The brothers Kiril and Metodi from Solun and their students Kliment and Naum from Ohrid are perfect examples of that. Macedonians were responsible for Christianizing millions of people from the bottom of the Balkans to the top of Siberia. How can Macedonians "conveniently" forget all that just because their enemies and current occupiers want them to?
It is very difficult to convince an accomplished people such as the Macedonians that they "donīt exist" and that they are really "not Macedonians" at all but something else. Of course no one can explain what that "something else" might be. And all this comes from who? The Greeks and Bulgarians, the very same people who brutally invaded, occupied and partitioned Macedonia?
Even though most people donīt know this, Greeks do have good reason to be afraid and suspicious of the Macedonians. Greeks over the years have committed many atrocities against the Macedonian people which the Macedonians are not about to forget.
The Greeks know and if they donīt know they should learn two things; one, Modern Greeks occupied and annexed Macedonia by force for the first time in 1912 and ever since have committed many atrocities against the Macedonian people. And two, the Modern Greeks of today are not "Greeks" at all but an artificial Philhellene creation made up of a collection of Slavs, Albanians, Vlachs, Macedonians, Christian Turks and others. Modern Greeks are not who they claim to be and they are lucky and should be grateful that they even have Greece, a country to call their own.
And now a few words about the so-called "name negotiations"
Rogi wrote:
If Macedonia pulled out of the so called "name negotiations" it would kick up pride amongst Macedonians all over the world, it would be a complete change, a refreshing change, from the defeatist Macedonia we have seen to date.
Pulling out of the negotiations would be a bold move for Macedonia standing up in such a way and defending itself against Greece, which has been trying to destroy Macedonia and its Macedonian ethnic identity for over 100 years. Such an act will reinvigorate the Macedonian spirit everywhere.
It will be the David and Goliath story, told among all Macedonians - the modern heroic story of the Macedonians standing up for themselves, to be told and retold to our children and grandchildren.
There will be euphoria and pride in the Macedonian nation more so than there was in 1991 during Independence. It would signal a whole new beginning and belief in the Macedonian nation. I am certain that such a move would generate great interest in Macedonia among Macedonians all over the world.
That would be more than enough to show the Macedonians around the world (who have largely lost hope due to corruption, scandals, etc.) that Macedonia IS worth fighting for and the Macedonian people in Macedonia ARE prepared to keep Macedonia and a new dawn is upon Macedonia.
It will open the gates for Macedonians in the Diaspora to invest in Macedonia, with a whole new belief and a new hope for Macedonia.
In the alternate scenario, if Macedonia gives in and changes the name, it will destroy whatever hope and belief there is for Macedonians around the world in the Republic of Macedonia and its existential purpose as the Guardian and Home of the Macedonian people and the Macedonian identity.
This means no interest in Macedonia, no hope and belief in Macedonia, it will no longer really be the home and guardian of the Macedonians rather it would become a nameless, faceless nation-state on paper, nothing unique about it.
You'll see a lot more Macedonians prepared to leave the country, particularly among the Macedonian patriots presently living there. That would then open the doors to corruption and disintegration. Everyone will look out for themselves, not the nation; you will lose a lot of patriotism and hope. There would be no real purpose for the existence of a Macedonian state (since it would no longer be Macedonia in name or in form).
People talk about the situation Macedonia is in now with unemployment, etc. and the need for the EU funds and so on. But when the nation no longer has a dream and a purpose, things will become far, far worse.
From there you'll see just how quickly division of the territory will take place, how easily corruption will reign and how soon the country will disintegrate.
Changing the name will be the beginning of the end of the independent Republic and cause irreversible damage to the Macedonian spirit.
It would be the historical moment with which, the never fading Macedonian spirit, which faced thousands of years of oppression and conquerors, was destroyed by the very Macedonians themselves who gave everything up and wiped themselves out of history that moment will be when the Macedonians destroyed themselves, something no conqueror, no occupier, no enemy could ever do.
Posted by Rogi at www.maknews.com/forum
Christoff wrote:
Dear Friends,
As these farcical "name negotiations" drag on I can't help but recognize a systematic flaw in the basis of Macedonia's participation in these talks. First of all, the entire question of the dispute is one sided and predicated on a hidden assertion.
Example in law; If an attorney poses a question as such; "How many times a week do you beat your wife?"
The formulation of the question contains a hidden assertion. It assumes the fact that you beat your wife!
Example pertinent to this so-called name dispute; The Greeks require a "mutually acceptable solution to the name problem". It contains the hidden assertion that there is a mutual problem with our name that must be resolved! Macedonians however, have no problem with our name!
Any participation in this process on the part of the Macedonians serves to legitimize the Greek hidden assertion!
THERE IS NO NAME ISSUE THAT MACEDONIANS NEED TO RESOLVE!
THEREFORE MACEDONIANS "MUST" WITHDRAW FROM THE PROCESS NOW!
CALL THE GREEK BLUFF AND EXPOSE THEIR HIDDEN AGENDA!
RESTORE AND PRESERVE THE MACEDONIAN HONOUR!
Posted by Christoff on www.maknews.com/forum
"No Albanian that I ever met in Greece thought of himself as an Albanian. He thought of himself as a Greek, because he lived in Greece and that is where he had his pastures or his fields. This seems to have happened from the very earliest times when migrants first came to Greece.
They used the Albanians from then on as mercenaries and also as settlers of the areas which were derelict. So the Albanian incursions into Greece continued under the Turkish system and went on right into the eighteenth century." ("Greece Old and New", edited by Tom Winnifrith and Penelope Murray, page 45)
For those who are still not convinced that the Modern Greek identity is an artificial creation, please continue to read this series of articles.
Authorīs note:
Dear Macedonians, one way to defend ourselves from the Greek onslaught and gain back our identity and dignity is to fight back to the level to which the Greeks have reduced us; that is to attack their identity as they have attacked ours. We need prove nothing to them except to expose them as the artificial identity they truly are and to uncover their design to wipe us out in order to usurp our Macedonian heritage.
To be continued.
Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from www.maknews.com for his contribution to this article.
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
Welcome to my world!
I am ashamed to admit it but I too was once like you. I thought that by explaining myself I could get Greeks to listen to my side of the story and surely they could also see things my way and we could reach a "common understanding".
I spent the better of my last thirty years trying to accomplish just that by taking the time to explain to the Greeks that "yes, Macedonians do exist and here is proof" only to be ridiculed and insulted even more. Unfortunately, to this day, I am sorry to say that I have not convinced even a single Greek of anything. Why? Have I not been truthful and forward with them? Have I not provided enough evidence to them? No!
The problem here is not with "me" or with "us" not trying hard enough or not being forward enough, the problem is that Greeks are "brought up" believing that, with the contradictory information which we provide to them, we "intend" to bring them harm. From the moment a Greek is born they are taught to believe that we are their enemy out to rob and murder them and steal their heritage. They are suspicious of everyone, the "Slavs" (whoever they may be), the Bulgarians, the Turks and the Americans and particularly of us who call ourselves Macedonian. The Greek educational system and the Greek Church have brainwashed them to believe that Macedonians donīt exist and those of us who say we are Macedonians are doing this to bring them harm and to steal "their" Macedonia from under them. Naturally they donīt know their true history and have no clue how they acquired Macedonia. They donīt even know that they are not "real" Greeks either.
Most Modern Greeks, at least the ones I dealt with in the past, no matter what we tell them will not believe us, not only because it contradicts what they learned from their government sponsored educational system and from the Greek Church but because, in the back of their minds, lurks the fear and suspicion that "we are out to get them", to do them harm, to steal their Macedonia from under them or to rob them of their "precious" heritage. Also, above and beyond their programming to be "suspicious", Greeks are programmed to believe that they are "superior" to us on account of being told that they are the descendents of the "superior ancient Greeks"; an ancient race of racists and xenophobes turned demigods by the Philhellenes of the 19th century.
In addition to being programmed to be frightfully suspicious, Modern Greeks are also programmed to be "all knowing" and "egotistical". A combination such as this not only makes them "not want to listen to us" but they feel the need to lecture us, to educate us about "who we are" and they do that with an air of arrogance and with a superior attitude. Greeks are not the kind of people who would give an impression of "doubt" or "uncertainty" about anything or would take kindly to you telling them your side of the story especially when it contradicts theirs. Greeks do not need to provide "real" proof of anything, "Greek logic" will suffice and their word alone is proof enough. This is why they go along using meaningless slogans like "Macedonia is Greek" but have no idea how, why, when, or how much of "Macedonia became Greek".
Anything you say that contradicts their understanding of history, particularly about Macedonia, will be met with fierce vitriolic opposition full of overconfidence and spite. Normal law abiding, kind Greeks will turn into raving lunatics just by mentioning that you are Macedonian. Macedonians from Greece are used to this but Macedonians from the Republic of Macedonia and non-Macedonians find it shocking.
Dear Macedonians, from what I have told you so far, what chance do you think you have of ever convincing a Greek of anything? So why waste your time trying? Take it from someone who has been there, donīt waste your time!
Apart from wasting your time, you are also being distracted and mislead to fall into the classic "Greek trap" from which there is no escape of being drawn into nonsensical discussions about who was who 2,000 years ago. The only thing Greeks are good at discussing is ambiguity and mythology!
Our "beef", if I can call it that, with the Greeks is not about what happened two thousand years ago but about what has happened since 1912 and 1913 when our country was invaded, occupied and partitioned by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria without our consent. Talking and debating about who was who and what happened two thousand years ago is a "Greek distraction", a ploy to keep us busy and away from discussing and learning about more recent and tragic events like the atrocities committed by the Modern Greeks against the Macedonian people.
The changing of all our names, the banning of our language, the non-recognition of our ethnic identity, the confiscation of our lands, the exiling of our people including innocent children, the torture of our people in their concentration camps, the killing of our people, the burning of our villages, the destruction of our books, monuments and cemeteries, and so on are the real issues that we should be discussing with the Greeks. These are important issues that we need to bring to the forefront!
The next time you are confronted by a Greek asking a rhetorical question "demanding to know what language Alexander the Great spoke" think about what is more important (1) to debate a nonsensical issue that will lead you into an endless "cyclical trap", or (2) to say leave ancient history to the ancient historians and letīs talk about what you Greeks have done to us Macedonians since 1912!
I know it is unfair to "paint all Greeks with the same racist brush" and I apologize to those who are not like that but please prove me wrong! Stand out in the crowd and say "I am a Greek and I understand and support you Macedonians", give me a reason to also say something good about you!
Why do Greeks behave this way? This is a question that I have struggled with for the last decade. To get a real appreciation as to why "Modern Greeks" behave the way they do we need to understand some things about their predecessors before they were "made" into "Modern Greeks" by their Philhellene patrons.
The quest for creating a "Modern Greece" began in late 18th century; years after the Arabs in Spain made Western Europeans aware that an "ancient civilization" existed in the Region of Morea, modern day Peloponnesus. Although the Western Europeans had learned much about this civilizationīs accomplishments, they had no plans to use them until the late 18th century when a need arose to develop an all exclusive European Civilization. Unfortunately the "ancient civilization", which declined with the Macedonian conquests in the fourth century BC, had completely ceased to exist. But two thousand years later that did not stop the Philhellenes from attempting to resurrect it.
Not completely satisfied with its disappearance, the Philhellenes were confident that they could recreate their civilization if only they could "train" the local people who lived on the same lands to behave and imitate the ancients. In their zeal to "create" such a civilization, the 19th century Philhellenes "convinced, coaxed, coerced, or bribed" the living and vibrant local cultures to "give up" their true "ethnic and cultural identities" for the promise of becoming "Greeks", something supposedly "bigger", "better" and "more glorious" than what they already had. Naturally there was opposition to this but those opposing lost out in the end. So in order to protect their investment from "being eroded" the Philhellenes surrounded it with a number of "defensive mechanisms"; one of these being the instilment of mistrust in the new generations. Through the educational system and through the Greek Church new generations of Greeks were taught to "mistrust" those who opposed or strayed away from the Philhellene indoctrination. Two centuries later this defense mechanism is still active and working as expected.
To keep those who signed on as "Greeks" to stay on as "Greeks" and to attract new "Modern Greeks" the first generation of "Neo-Hellenes", with help from the Philhellenic Academia, not only gave Modern Greece a glorious past but convinced the New-Greeks that they were "truly" the descendants of the Ancient people who once created that "sought after" civilization.
After creating the tiny Greek Kingdom and consolidating their power the "Neo-Hellenes", with help from the Philhellene patrons, continued the process of incorporating new lands and new people into the Modern Greek fold. Since its inception in 1829 the Greek State has incorporated Thessaly, Epirus, Crete, 51% of Macedonia, Thrace, the Dodecanese Islands, etc. It would have also incorporated Asia Minor but its ambitions were cut short by its catastrophic defeat by Modern Turkey. Now that the Republic of Macedonia has become independent, removed from the clutches of Serbia, Greece is developing new taste for old ambitions and the wish to incorporate another 39% of Macedonia into its Greek fold. If that is not the case then why advertise to the world that "Macedonia is Greek"?
In its greed to expand its territory and assimilate people into its Hellenic fold, to date, Modern Greece has swallowed up and assimilated the Albanians and Slavs of Morea, the Albanians of Epirus, the Vlachs of Thessaly, the Macedonians of 51% of Macedonia, the Cretans from Crete, the Turks from Thrace and the Christian Turks from Asia Minor, not to mention the Roma, Latin, Armenian, Baltic, Russian and other ethnic groups living in Greece today.
Of all the ethnic groups assimilated into the Modern Greek "phenomenon" the Macedonians are the most dangerous and pose the greatest threat to Greece. This is because of two important factors.
First, by the 1920īs Macedonia was divided into four pieces and was given to Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania. What was once a single ethnic Macedonian entity became four diametrically opposed entities separated by artificial borders. Macedonians have not only not forgotten this but they can hardly accept that their kin over the "false" border are now "ethnically different" from themselves. Macedonians cannot accept being "51% Greeks", "39% Serbians", "10% Bulgarians" and "some small" percentage Albanians; all at the same time.
Second, Macedonians has an illustrious history with deep roots and traditions that extend to ancient times. Modern Macedonians, irrespective of which country they live in today, are well aware of their history and their attempt over the centuries to free themselves from their occupiers and restore their united, free and independent Macedonia.
Macedonians have no collective memory of ever "coming to Macedonia" from somewhere else. They do however have traditions that extend well into ancient times. Modern Macedonians on many occasions through history exhibited traditions associated not only with the exploits of the Ancient Macedonians but also with the development and spread of Christianity and culture all throughout Eastern Europe. The brothers Kiril and Metodi from Solun and their students Kliment and Naum from Ohrid are perfect examples of that. Macedonians were responsible for Christianizing millions of people from the bottom of the Balkans to the top of Siberia. How can Macedonians "conveniently" forget all that just because their enemies and current occupiers want them to?
It is very difficult to convince an accomplished people such as the Macedonians that they "donīt exist" and that they are really "not Macedonians" at all but something else. Of course no one can explain what that "something else" might be. And all this comes from who? The Greeks and Bulgarians, the very same people who brutally invaded, occupied and partitioned Macedonia?
Even though most people donīt know this, Greeks do have good reason to be afraid and suspicious of the Macedonians. Greeks over the years have committed many atrocities against the Macedonian people which the Macedonians are not about to forget.
The Greeks know and if they donīt know they should learn two things; one, Modern Greeks occupied and annexed Macedonia by force for the first time in 1912 and ever since have committed many atrocities against the Macedonian people. And two, the Modern Greeks of today are not "Greeks" at all but an artificial Philhellene creation made up of a collection of Slavs, Albanians, Vlachs, Macedonians, Christian Turks and others. Modern Greeks are not who they claim to be and they are lucky and should be grateful that they even have Greece, a country to call their own.
And now a few words about the so-called "name negotiations"
Rogi wrote:
If Macedonia pulled out of the so called "name negotiations" it would kick up pride amongst Macedonians all over the world, it would be a complete change, a refreshing change, from the defeatist Macedonia we have seen to date.
Pulling out of the negotiations would be a bold move for Macedonia standing up in such a way and defending itself against Greece, which has been trying to destroy Macedonia and its Macedonian ethnic identity for over 100 years. Such an act will reinvigorate the Macedonian spirit everywhere.
It will be the David and Goliath story, told among all Macedonians - the modern heroic story of the Macedonians standing up for themselves, to be told and retold to our children and grandchildren.
There will be euphoria and pride in the Macedonian nation more so than there was in 1991 during Independence. It would signal a whole new beginning and belief in the Macedonian nation. I am certain that such a move would generate great interest in Macedonia among Macedonians all over the world.
That would be more than enough to show the Macedonians around the world (who have largely lost hope due to corruption, scandals, etc.) that Macedonia IS worth fighting for and the Macedonian people in Macedonia ARE prepared to keep Macedonia and a new dawn is upon Macedonia.
It will open the gates for Macedonians in the Diaspora to invest in Macedonia, with a whole new belief and a new hope for Macedonia.
In the alternate scenario, if Macedonia gives in and changes the name, it will destroy whatever hope and belief there is for Macedonians around the world in the Republic of Macedonia and its existential purpose as the Guardian and Home of the Macedonian people and the Macedonian identity.
This means no interest in Macedonia, no hope and belief in Macedonia, it will no longer really be the home and guardian of the Macedonians rather it would become a nameless, faceless nation-state on paper, nothing unique about it.
You'll see a lot more Macedonians prepared to leave the country, particularly among the Macedonian patriots presently living there. That would then open the doors to corruption and disintegration. Everyone will look out for themselves, not the nation; you will lose a lot of patriotism and hope. There would be no real purpose for the existence of a Macedonian state (since it would no longer be Macedonia in name or in form).
People talk about the situation Macedonia is in now with unemployment, etc. and the need for the EU funds and so on. But when the nation no longer has a dream and a purpose, things will become far, far worse.
From there you'll see just how quickly division of the territory will take place, how easily corruption will reign and how soon the country will disintegrate.
Changing the name will be the beginning of the end of the independent Republic and cause irreversible damage to the Macedonian spirit.
It would be the historical moment with which, the never fading Macedonian spirit, which faced thousands of years of oppression and conquerors, was destroyed by the very Macedonians themselves who gave everything up and wiped themselves out of history that moment will be when the Macedonians destroyed themselves, something no conqueror, no occupier, no enemy could ever do.
Posted by Rogi at www.maknews.com/forum
Christoff wrote:
Dear Friends,
As these farcical "name negotiations" drag on I can't help but recognize a systematic flaw in the basis of Macedonia's participation in these talks. First of all, the entire question of the dispute is one sided and predicated on a hidden assertion.
Example in law; If an attorney poses a question as such; "How many times a week do you beat your wife?"
The formulation of the question contains a hidden assertion. It assumes the fact that you beat your wife!
Example pertinent to this so-called name dispute; The Greeks require a "mutually acceptable solution to the name problem". It contains the hidden assertion that there is a mutual problem with our name that must be resolved! Macedonians however, have no problem with our name!
Any participation in this process on the part of the Macedonians serves to legitimize the Greek hidden assertion!
THERE IS NO NAME ISSUE THAT MACEDONIANS NEED TO RESOLVE!
THEREFORE MACEDONIANS "MUST" WITHDRAW FROM THE PROCESS NOW!
CALL THE GREEK BLUFF AND EXPOSE THEIR HIDDEN AGENDA!
RESTORE AND PRESERVE THE MACEDONIAN HONOUR!
Posted by Christoff on www.maknews.com/forum
"No Albanian that I ever met in Greece thought of himself as an Albanian. He thought of himself as a Greek, because he lived in Greece and that is where he had his pastures or his fields. This seems to have happened from the very earliest times when migrants first came to Greece.
They used the Albanians from then on as mercenaries and also as settlers of the areas which were derelict. So the Albanian incursions into Greece continued under the Turkish system and went on right into the eighteenth century." ("Greece Old and New", edited by Tom Winnifrith and Penelope Murray, page 45)
For those who are still not convinced that the Modern Greek identity is an artificial creation, please continue to read this series of articles.
Authorīs note:
Dear Macedonians, one way to defend ourselves from the Greek onslaught and gain back our identity and dignity is to fight back to the level to which the Greeks have reduced us; that is to attack their identity as they have attacked ours. We need prove nothing to them except to expose them as the artificial identity they truly are and to uncover their design to wipe us out in order to usurp our Macedonian heritage.
To be continued.
Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from www.maknews.com for his contribution to this article.
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
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