\u201cDo good and throw it in the sea\u201d (\u039a\u0391\u039d\u0395 \u03a4\u039f \u039a\u0391\u039b\u039f \u039a\u0391\u0399 \u03a1\u0399\u039e\u03a4\u039f \u03a3\u03a4\u039f \u0393\u0399\u0391\u039b\u039f). This is a Greek proverb I love. It means do a good deed and let nobody know about it. It is actually the Christian way.
\n\u201cBut when you do merciful deeds, don\u2019t let your left hand know what your right hand does.\u201d Try not to expect recognition and gratitude. Just do it and forget it the next moment. Don\u2019t keep records of charities, of donations or of the help you gave to others.
\nLet the sea wash it like your footprints on the sand.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDo good and throw it in the sea\u201d (\u039a\u0391\u039d\u0395 \u03a4\u039f \u039a\u0391\u039b\u039f \u039a\u0391\u0399 \u03a1\u0399\u039e\u03a4\u039f \u03a3\u03a4\u039f \u0393\u0399\u0391\u039b\u039f). This is a Greek proverb I love. It means do a good deed and let nobody know about it. It is actually the Christian way.
\n\u201cBut when you do merciful deeds, don\u2019t let your left hand know what your right hand does.\u201d Try not to expect recognition and gratitude. Just do it and forget it the next moment. Don\u2019t keep records of charities, of donations or of the help you gave to others.
\nLet the sea wash it like your footprints on the sand.
\nRecently, I have started having second thoughts about the proverb \u201cthe robe doesn\u2019t make the monk,\u201d which exists in many languages. In Greek, it is actually \u201cthe robe doesn\u2019t make the priest\u201d (\u03a4\u039f \u03a1\u0391\u03a3\u039f \u0394\u0395\u039d \u039a\u0391\u039d\u0395\u0399 \u03a4\u039f\u039d \u03a0\u0391\u03a0\u0391).
\nI object because I see that, in reality, the robe mirrors what we are. Our appearance betrays our modest or boastful self. Our cleanliness shows our respect to others and to life in general. Our shabbiness is a sign of the opposite.
\nIn my humble opinion, the robe does make the monk. Or the priest.
\nThere is another phrase in Greek which is used very often: \u201cWhen you don\u2019t have someone to bring you a glass of water\u201d (\u039d\u0391 \u039c\u0397\u039d \u0395\u03a7\u0395\u0399\u03a3 \u039a\u0391\u03a0\u039f\u0399\u039f\u039d \u039d\u0391 \u03a3\u039f\u03a5 \u03a6\u0395\u03a1\u0395\u0399 \u0395\u039d\u0391 \u03a0\u039f\u03a4\u0397\u03a1\u0399 \u039d\u0395\u03a1\u039f). It denotes those who live alone, who don\u2019t have anyone to care for them.
\nAs I grow older, I see the truth of this phrase. When you come home tired from work, it is so important to be able to ask somebody to bring you the proverbial glass of water. Or the literal one. This glass of water tastes so good because it contains drops of the other person\u2019s love and care.
\nAnd then there\u2019s \u201cclarity is wisdom\u201d(\u03a3\u039f\u03a6\u039f\u039d \u03a4\u039f \u03a3\u0391\u03a6\u0395\u03a3). It shows that when we use our words in a clear way, we are wise people. It sounds strange, but I guess it is right. Do I need to explain it further? No, I think it is quite clear.
\nAn ancient Greek proverb is \u201cwhen you speak laconically, you are a philosopher\u201d(\u03a4\u039f \u039b\u0391\u039a\u03a9\u039d\u0399\u0396\u0395\u0399\u039d \u0395\u03a3\u03a4\u0399 \u03a6\u0399\u039b\u039f\u03a3\u039f\u03a6\u0395\u0399\u039d). It is equally clear and wise, isn\u2019t it?
\nThe Spartans, inhabitants of the region of Laconia, were notorious for their disgust towards every luxury, towards anything superfluous. This is how \u201claconic\u201d became a synonym for austerity of words.
\nAdmirable people. The opposite of talkative or garrulous.
\nAnd now we come to \u201ceverything bad is mixed with something good,\u201d or \u201cevery cloud has a silver lining.\u201d You probably don\u2019t agree. When I was a child, I myself used to disagree with what adults were telling me using the Greek proverb \u201cevery obstacle is for the best\u201d (\u039a\u0391\u0398\u0395 \u0395\u039c\u03a0\u039f\u0394\u0399\u039f \u0393\u0399\u0391 \u039a\u0391\u039b\u039f). I was impatient to immediately reach this \u201cbest\u201d part, which I couldn\u2019t yet see in the horizon.
\nBut their commonplace proverb contained so much wisdom.
\nThe obstacles were hidden blessings, as would be revealed to me later on. When I insisted on the wrong person, the wrong job, the wrong decision, when my disappointment was big or enormous, my parents and grandparents would patiently repeat this proverb, or its variation, \u201ceverything bad is mixed with something good\u201d (\u039f\u03a5\u0394\u0395\u039d \u039a\u0391\u039a\u039f\u039d \u0391\u039c\u0399\u0393\u0395\u03a3 \u039a\u0391\u039b\u039f\u03a5).
\nAnd now I know what they meant. I have learnt my lesson.
\n*
\nPublished on March 21, 2018 on leipglo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cDo good and throw it in the sea\u201d (\u039a\u0391\u039d\u0395 \u03a4\u039f \u039a\u0391\u039b\u039f \u039a\u0391\u0399 \u03a1\u0399\u039e\u03a4\u039f \u03a3\u03a4\u039f \u0393\u0399\u0391\u039b\u039f). This is a Greek proverb […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":97,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-130","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.onliners.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.onliners.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.onliners.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.onliners.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.onliners.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp.onliners.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/130\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.onliners.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}