Atlas, Greece and the Earth

Other day I was watching the movie Troy and was reminded of the strength, unity of the once great Greeks. Soon after the movie was over, the habitual channel surfer that I have become, I was surfing through the news channel. Lo and behold…all the news channels were shouting on top of their voices about the financial catastrophe called Greece!!!! I did not know what to believe….the just concluded picturization of known history or the present!!!! Not understanding what to do, what to listen, I decided to resign to the body clock and sleep.

There I was on my couch and suddenly I dreamt that I am an almighty Zeus condemning Atlas to stand at the western edge of Gaia (the Earth) and hold up Uranus (the Sky) on his shoulders, to prevent the two from cuddling each other!!!! With just one command I had Atlas Telamon, "enduring Atlas," at my feet..albeit in my dreams!!!

Beeeeppppppp…..The dream sequence was shattered by the sudden sound….to hell with you, I shouted. Soon I realized that the sound was a blend of door bell and alarm in my BB. Unwillingly I reached out to the door and picked up the newspaper lying near the door. The newspaper headline again screamed about Greece going bust, the financial crisis the world is going to endure in next few days (years???) to come. I read the entire newspaper avidly and realized that it is not just the Greece but its really the PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain) that is really troubling the Euro zone and the Earth!!  

In the span of less than 24 hours I realized the 180 degrees role reversal that I had to undergo. In my great dreams, I was an almighty Zeus summoning Atlas to carry Uranus and while I was reading newspaper I found that it’s indeed me who has to carry not just Greece (or PIGS for that matter) but the entire earth!!! Wow that is life, I sighed.

Oblivious though, I remembered the poem that I read long ago.

“I slept and dreamt that life was beauty,

I awoke and found that the life was duty,

Was my dream then a shadowy lie

Toil on sad heart courageously,

And thou shall find thy dream shall be,

A noonday light and truth to thee”

Realizing that carrying Greece/Earth on our shoulder is not only Herculean but also ‘Merkelian’ task.....I resumed my daily routine and drove to office once again to be new age Atlas carrying Greece (PIGS) and other faltering economies on shoulder.……