May this humanity serve as a counterbalance to the amorality of those who rushed to rejoice at the news of the deaths of dozens of people
The “good”news of the week was the people from the restaurants along the waterfront of occupied Kyrenia who spontaneously provided hot food and water to the relatives of the missing passengers of thecapsized catamaran, while they waited to hear news about their loved ones.
It wasn’t major news; it was buried deep in the—very—small print of the news coverage generated by the tragic accident, as well as the broader negative news of the past week. It was, however, a piece of hopeful news—there is still humanity out there, and we need hopeful news to cling to when unpleasant news overwhelms us.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In our mourning culture, the custom still persists of neighbors cooking for the relatives of the deceased during the first few days. It’s a practical, direct way to show their support and offer a little comfort—food brings people together rather than driving them apart. They still do this in the villages. I experienced it at my grandmother’s funeral, and I remember it as the warmest thing that happened on that freezing December afternoon in the mountain community.
Small places, great traditions, I thought when I heard that the same thing had happened at the Kyrenia shipwreck (what irony that such a place should become known for shipwrecks—sometimes for their discovery, sometimes for their sinking!). May this humanity serve as a counterweight to the amorality of those who rushed to rejoice at the news of the loss of dozens of people, including young children who, in their brief time on earth, had not yet had time to be burdened with the sins of their ancestors.
I don’t know if it’s the other language, the green line, the bitter experiences, or the sense of entitlement that no one but us has roots in this sea—that makes the mere few kilometers separating us from Kyrenia seem so vast. Just a few years ago, the news of the death of a group of students from the occupied territories in the rubble of a hotel in Antiochia had, for a short while, put us in the other community’s shoes.
Time, too, rather than healing wounds, widens the gaps between us. Listening to RIK and Glafkos Kariolou, the son of the diver who had discovered another ancient shipwreck in the area, describing the unique characteristics of the waters off Kyrenia, I thought that we are running out of people who know the northern seas like the back of their hand.
That is why I would like to keep in my thoughts those who offered a little comfort through their food to the relatives of the victims. As Dostoevsky wrote in *The Idiot*, “Beauty will save the world.”
