My father is Charalampos Roussos. His H-Index is 76. He was a key player in creating modern hospital medicine. He did that as a side effect of his research on lung behavior that among other things determined that a human being’s will to live ends after the body dies, not the other way around. While still at the top of his game, he went to Greece in 1986.
And if you read this thread, https://twitter.com/greekanalyst/status/1367818017581768704?s=21, you will begin to understands the challenges associated with his decision to return to Greece.
And my dad saw them all. And yet, he managed to create. Why? He believed that the only way to resist the forces trying to destroy was by choosing to do high-quality work at all times.
His point-of-view was summarized with a saying, the title of my blog, that translates in intent if not precisely “the resistance of high-quality work.”
He is writing his memoirs. And he wrote a longer version. And I want to share it because it summarizes my view on so many different things.
Όσο δύσκολη και να είναι οι καιροί,
όσο ελλιπείς και αν είναι οι υλικοί και ανθρώπινοι πόροι,
όσο σοβαρή και αν είναι η αρρώστια,
όσο και αν ενδημεί η ζήλεια, η συκοφαντία και ο φθόνος,
πάντα οι ελεύθεροι και οι δημιουργοί μπορούν:
να αναπτύσσουν το χώρο της ευθύνης τους,
να προβάλουν αντίσταση με την ποιότητα της εργασίας τους,
να πιστεύουν στην αριστεία,
μια αρετή που δεν χαρίζεται,
μια αρετή που μόνο κατακτάται.
no matter how scarce material and human resources are,
no matter how serious the illness,
as much as jealousy, slander and envy are endemic,
freelancers and creators can always:
develop their area of responsibility,
resist with the quality of their work,
believe in excellence,
a virtue that is not bestowed,
a virtue that is only conquered.
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