I've always been suspicious whenever Greece is bashed in the media as some backward country stealing European money. They're just very shrewd people and have been for several thousand years. The best public library in New York City was funded by a Greek. Thank you very much.
It's astonishing how well public transportation is organized given the massive hordes of tourists descending on the tiny Islands. If you haven't observed how these hordes are being swallowed and transported by the large ferries you haven't seen anything. They employ people in vests and whistles. Whenever the crowd makes a mistake in taking the wrong turn somebody always comes out in a vest and starts whistling and pointing in the right direction. The crowd obliges and keeps rolling their suitcases.
The little ants are being directed by the sugar cubes.
I've always been sad about how bad public transportation infrastructure is in the States. But then the US is enormous. I remember public transportation being awful in San Francisco and I drove everywhere although I should have been taking public transportation because it's a small city. I loved driving however at some point I started resenting it and realized it really isn't necessary. I think driving makes people lonely.
And the car culture sends people to the suburbs, in lonely unwalkable destinations that are not conducive to socialization. Socializing with random people is very important for the maintenance of the social fabric and trust. And fun you know, having fun is a lost art in America. Unless you buy a ticket to some place.
Ok so how did I end up here in my essay? Well I'm still processing my time in Greece. As an artist as a human being, their massive contributions to art. They invented world culture as we know it. Look around every city and there is Greek art everywhere, read any book and there are Plato's talking points everywhere. Public discourse, yeah this is what they invented.