By Stefanos Nikolaidis
On October 28 of 1940h Greece he said NO to fascismin submissionto fear. She was one moment of unity and dignity who determined it who are we — not only as peoplebut as idea.
Eighty-five years laterthe question stays alive: what is the NO of our times?
Thenthe heroes they went up to mountains her Pindus. Todaythe battles are given to hospitalson halls of courtsat schoolsin roadswithin ourselves consciences.
The spirit but it remains the same: the refusal to bow the head.
The skai.gr collected 4 stories of modern “NO’s” — 4 voices that, in their own way, hold alive the spirit of 1940. Together, the thoughts of people who believe that the dignity it is timeless act of resistance.
NO to fear
OR Maria S., doctor in public hospital her of Athensremembers them barbaric days her pandemic:
“There was no greater fear than losing people every day. The suspense of who will live, who will lose the battle, was daily. And yet, within this fear, there was something that kept us standing: responsibility“, he tells us.
“My NO was to not give up on my patients, to not stop hoping, to give the care that every person needed, every moment. It was a NO to paralyzing fear, but also a YES to life».
The same spirit that led them doctors and nurses of ’40 to set up makeshift hospitals in Epirusis what keeps it up National Health System today.
A new generation of people serves the lifeeven when the life seems to recede.
NO to injustice
OR Artemis St., young lawyer from the Thessalonikidefends women that they have suffered abuse.
“Every time a woman says “no” and means “so far”, something inside me shudders. Not because I’m afraid, but because I understand how deeply he has hurt. My NO is not only personal, it is the voice of all those who cannot speak.” describes.
“When I stand in court, I see in front of me every woman who has suffered abuse and is fighting for justice. My NO is not to let anyone ignore her, not to let her voice go unanswered».
OR justice is not never given. Such as then the Greek people stood opposite one superpower with only of weapon the rightso too today every race for equality, dignity and respect is one contemporary act of resistance.
NO to indifference
THE Christos T., volunteer in coastal cleaning actionsshares with us:
“The environment doesn’t scream, it just dies silently. And our indifference is a weapon in the hands of time that destroys it. My NO is not to turn a blind eye, not to let garbage rule, not to ignore the waste that destroys the sea, the life, the future of our peers and children.”
“Every bag I collect, every clean beach I see, is a small NO to indifference and a YES to the life of my place“, he concludes.
Like the ’40 the Greeks defended themselves the Earth them, like that today a new generation he fights to save her — from the climatic indifferencethe destructionthe silence.
NO to inhumanity
THE Abdul, refugee from the Syrialives in Greece here and 5 years.
“In my country I had no voice. Every day was a struggle to survive and stay invisible. Here, I found people who said NO to hate, NO to exclusion, NO to indifference. They embraced me, made me feel that I was worth it, that my life mattered. Their NO became my NO, and now I can say NO to loneliness, NO to intolerance, NO to everything that tries to oppress me».
OR Greece of ’40 open them houses of to allies and fought for her freedom of all. OR Greece of 2025 can do it again — with acts of solidarity, humanity, faith to Man.
Instead of Epilogue: The NO that lives within us
Finally it NO does not belong to 1940.
It belongs to you every moment where one grows taller opposite to unfairat violencein injustice.
It belongs to generations who believe that the dignity is not a privilege — it is a choice.
Eighty five years after, h Greece remembers. Not to look back, but to find her inside power to say again: NO to fear. NO to injustice. NO to indifference. NO to inhumanity.
And let’s say those out loud again words of Poet: “If we’re going to die, let’s die standing up”
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
