| visit your favorites: | Ebay | Facebook | Google | Hi5 | Mapquest | Msn | My Space | Twitter | Wikipedia | Yahoo | Youtube | |
| Welcome - Καλωσόρισμα - Hoş Geldiniz - оказать прием - willkommen - Bienvenue |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
RADIO PARAKATH
Mondays at 9:00pm
With: L. Michailidis &
P. Papadopoulos
Mondays at 9:00pm
With: L. Michailidis &
P. Papadopoulos
| Find us at: Θα μας βρειτε στο: |
| ©2011 Efxinos Pontos - Έυξεινος Πόντος - ©1999-2011 Lefter. All Rights Reserved. |
A Pontian thought from Down Under
Written by Bill Kotamanidis
To all my Pontic Greek brothers and sisters of the Diaspora. As I sit here, outside by my pool in the cold and early hours of the
morning, cigarette in hand, coffee at arm’s reach, listening to old Pontic Greek tunes on YouTube, I can’t but help think of how our
race got to where we are now. I constantly go back to my father and his actions and motives in why he was invo...lved with so many
Pontian events and organisations.
Only later on in life, when he was gone, did I realise the background to his actions, and reasoning behind it all. All of this surfaced
during my search into finding my identity and family history. I can now fully understand why he was involved and the reasoning
behind all his activity. It’s a real shame I didn’t have the drive or passion to get involved with him during his days on this earth, most
probably spurred on by apathy, ignorance and naivity, or more likely, by my own selfish needs to fit into the western way of life, and
become one of the west.
How silly was I not to have embraced our history, culture, values and traditions sooner in life. How silly was I to not have allowed
myself the privilege of embracing my culture more closely with those around me. I now constantly think how it would have been to
have been more involved with my father in his activities, and cultural goals. I could have shared a mutual traditional bond and
passion with him. Time passes, we age, and our children grow up and become adults, with little, if no knowledge at all of our history
and hardships. They become one of the western world and eventually lose all ties with the past.
I only notice now how hard it is to awaken the younger westernised youth of today, who have been engrossed in their own little
western world from birth, and have grown up under the influences of a 50 cents and Gucci. I laugh to myself and have a chuckle at
conversations over what brand of T-Shirt they are wearing, or did they download the latest Justin Bieber song last week and get Fifa
2011. Maybe I’m getting old and frumpy, and find these things being somewhat shallow. There are more important issues to deal
with, much bigger than any one individual that should take precedence.
I call upon all parents of Pontic Greek heritage to enlighten the youth of today of their past.
To understand and acknowledge the past will not only make them grow up quicker, but also enrich them as humans. It may help
them understand who they are, where they have been, and most importantly, why they need to embrace our cultural identity and
contribute to whatever they can in preserving and further developing the Pontic Greek way of life.
Anyone who has Pontic Greek blood flowing through their veins, has a legacy to our forefathers that needs to be enacted upon
during our time on this earth. Contribute in every which way you can.
Written by Bill Kotamanidis
To all my Pontic Greek brothers and sisters of the Diaspora. As I sit here, outside by my pool in the cold and early hours of the
morning, cigarette in hand, coffee at arm’s reach, listening to old Pontic Greek tunes on YouTube, I can’t but help think of how our
race got to where we are now. I constantly go back to my father and his actions and motives in why he was invo...lved with so many
Pontian events and organisations.
Only later on in life, when he was gone, did I realise the background to his actions, and reasoning behind it all. All of this surfaced
during my search into finding my identity and family history. I can now fully understand why he was involved and the reasoning
behind all his activity. It’s a real shame I didn’t have the drive or passion to get involved with him during his days on this earth, most
probably spurred on by apathy, ignorance and naivity, or more likely, by my own selfish needs to fit into the western way of life, and
become one of the west.
How silly was I not to have embraced our history, culture, values and traditions sooner in life. How silly was I to not have allowed
myself the privilege of embracing my culture more closely with those around me. I now constantly think how it would have been to
have been more involved with my father in his activities, and cultural goals. I could have shared a mutual traditional bond and
passion with him. Time passes, we age, and our children grow up and become adults, with little, if no knowledge at all of our history
and hardships. They become one of the western world and eventually lose all ties with the past.
I only notice now how hard it is to awaken the younger westernised youth of today, who have been engrossed in their own little
western world from birth, and have grown up under the influences of a 50 cents and Gucci. I laugh to myself and have a chuckle at
conversations over what brand of T-Shirt they are wearing, or did they download the latest Justin Bieber song last week and get Fifa
2011. Maybe I’m getting old and frumpy, and find these things being somewhat shallow. There are more important issues to deal
with, much bigger than any one individual that should take precedence.
I call upon all parents of Pontic Greek heritage to enlighten the youth of today of their past.
To understand and acknowledge the past will not only make them grow up quicker, but also enrich them as humans. It may help
them understand who they are, where they have been, and most importantly, why they need to embrace our cultural identity and
contribute to whatever they can in preserving and further developing the Pontic Greek way of life.
Anyone who has Pontic Greek blood flowing through their veins, has a legacy to our forefathers that needs to be enacted upon
during our time on this earth. Contribute in every which way you can.
