(view of Mt. Olympus from Christos Kakkalos, photo by Mikhalis Styllas)
[Εντελώς τυχαίως "ανακαλύψαμε" τη συνέντευξη που έδωσε ο κ.Μιχάλης Στύλλας [ΕΔΩ ΕΔΩ], γνωστός ορειβάτης και διαχειριστής του καταφυγίου Χρήστος Κάκαλος στο Όρος Όλυμπος [ΕΔΩ ΕΔΩ ΕΔΩ ΕΔΩ]. Η "ανακάλυψη" της συνέντευξης έγινε στους Ecososialist Horizons [ΕΔΩ]
Interview with Mikhalis Styllas The View from Mount Olympus
by QUINCY SAUL
July 6, 2015
(this interview originally appeared on Counterpunch, July 5, 2015)
All eyes on Hellas! It seems that all the problems and solutions of the 21st century devolve today upon the people of Greece. Have the people who invented democracy been reduced to a choice between poverty and austerity? Or can the current crisis be an opportunity to reclaim lost visions and values?
Some say that SYRIZA’s referendum is a sham, that they are asking voters to endorse their failure, or that they are not fighting hard enough. Others say they are masterminds, making the best of conditions and negotiations that were rigged against Greece from the beginning. Some see in the crisis an opportunity for Greece to spearhead the salvation of Europe itself – a Delphi Declaration calls for a return to the principles of democracy, and another declarationsigned by many prominent intellectuals also appeals to the values of Enlightenment to calm the crisis. A few others are less optimistic about the European Union and Europe in general – they urge us to prepare for war and/or insurrection. And as the world confronts the sixth mass extinction, some see hope in Greece for energy revolution, while others are less optimistic about overcoming a toxic legacy.
We speak today with someone who can unravel the underlying history with which current events are spring-loaded. Whichever way the vote goes this Sunday, it is the deeper dynamics of history, economics and environment which will determine the future. Democratic Polis or Oligarchic Tyranny? Environmental Inferno or Ecosocialist Avalanche? Here we speak with Mikhalis Styllas, an educator, alpinist, geologist and activist currently living on Mt. Olympus.
Tell us about all the history which culminates in today’s controversy and crisis.
Mikhalis Styllas: Greeks are blessed to be living in such a small area with such big natural and cultural diversity and history. But instead of conserving this unique place we are trying our best to destroy it. Apparently, it all has to do with the modern mentality of “immediate profit” and “business as usual” cultivated by our parents’ generation. Sadly this is not restricted within Greek territory but is a global phenomenon. There is an explanation for this which most people probably do not know, so first I will lay out the general context (social, economic, environmental) of how Greece reached the present-day situation, according to historical facts and personal perception.
After 500 years of continuous struggle against the Ottoman Empire (1453 – 1912), through Balkan Wars (1912 – 1913) and two World Wars (1914 – 1918 & 1940 – 1945) with the final part of this difficult period being the Greek Civil War (1946 – 1949, communists against the right wing party members), Greece was literally a wreck. The countryside was deserted, migration to USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe (mainly Germany) was unprecedented and the remaining population was politically and socially divided. The wounds took many decades to heal (if they ever will) and during the year I was born (1974), Democracy was finally established in Greece following the collapse of a USA-planted dictatorship (1967 – 1974 junta), bringing a halt to many centuries of social and economic instability.
As the country was trying to find its balance among “big ally” military and economic corporations like NATO and European Economic Community EEC (former European Union), the standard of living gradually rose and a middle class was created. This occurred simultaneously with the transformation of the economy from rural to urban, as many people rushed from the poor and deserted countryside to the big cities – mainly Athens and Thessaloniki – chasing the dream of a “settled, safe and rich” life. Along with the urbanization movement of the 1970s and 1980s, many public industries closed down during the governance of Andreas Papandreou and his ruling party PASOK. De-industrialization left many jobless people from the public primary production sector, who had to find shelter both for social and electoral reasons. And they did; they found shelter in the broader Public Sector that became humongous during the 1980s, 90s and 2000s. To give you an example, between 2004 and 2008, 60,000 more people were employed in the already-bigger-than-necessary and non-productive Public Sector with an overall wage increase of about 40% (1). This was the final act of the drama we are facing today, as growth during these decades was fueled by uncontrolled borrowing from public and private banks and from the influx of foreign funds. Poor political control over EU grants, combined with nearly a million public servants, plus corruption, tax avoidance and the fact that Greek society largely chose consumption instead of saving and investment, caused public debt to skyrocket.
During the same period, (1980-2010) tourism, small industrial units, textile factories, and independent companies providing services and merchandise flourished, strengthening the ever-growing middle class, but our economy remained a “closed system” with decreasing exports and increasing imports. As of 2013 Greek economy was based mainly on service sector (80%) and industry (16%) while agriculture had shrunk to a mere 4% (2). Economic growth was mostly led by domestic demand, and Greek society resisted any type of social reform. Any sense of environmental protection and natural conservation remained small if not nonexistent.
What are the big ecological questions facing the region today? How are campaigns for environmental justice developing alongside movements for economic and political justice?
Mikhalis Styllas: During the 1980 – 2010 period, Greece’s efforts towards economic stability, material prosperity and convergence with other European countries, together with a loose justice system, resulted in the abandonment of environmental awareness. Environmental issues were absent from elementary and high school education, and have only been raised as rapid urbanization, construction, intensive agriculture, industrial development and tourism have resulted in environmental degradation. The recent economic crisis brought a halt to this inferno, but environmental protection challenges for Greece are still ahead. Even though Mount Olympus is theoretically protected by several conventions (National Park, Natura 2000, etc.), in practice it is not protected at all. Illegal logging, illegal hunting, disposal of garbage, gravel mining and the everlasting desire for ski resort construction remain the main environmental degradation hot spots.
But the biggest threat is the mentality developed during all these years of prosperity and consumption, which makes people even more ignorant and careless when it comes to environmental issues. Local communities see growth through the immediate impact in their pocket and not through environmental sustainability or the long term development of tourism and agriculture. Environmental justice in Greece is buried under the saga of “business as usual,” as people involved in ecologically threatening enterprises traditionally have strong relationships with ruling political parties (if not belonging to those parties themselves). It will take years for Greece to learn to care about its natural resources, but this does not mean that we should give up the effort of educating and showing the way to younger generations.
You spend a lot of your life living in the Christos Kakkalos hut, just beneath the throne of Mt. Olympus, between Stargate, Profitis Ilias and the Plateau of Muses. Olympus seems isolated, but it is connected to the whole world, ecologically and politically. Even as sands from the Sahara sprinkle the snow of Olympus, the winds of political and moral desertification also cast shadows on the sacred slopes. In his famous and controversial poem “Shame of Europe,” Gunter Grass invoked the curses of the gods upon the EU commissioners, for wanting to steal the mountain. In your work as refuge manager, geologist and activist, you have been on the front lines: tell us about the view from Mt. Olympus.
Mikhalis Styllas: I grew up on Mount Olympus and I climbed to the summit for the first time at the age of nine with my parents. Since then I have always been fascinated by the beauty of mountains, and this is why I studied geology. Eventually I made Mount Olympus home, partly living here as I took over the management of a mountain hut (refuge Christos Kakkalos). Even though both my professional encounters (refuge manager, geologist) are based on some kind of exploitation of the natural environment, my goal is always to protect the ecosystem, as environmental threats in Greece seem to be alarmingly increasing.
Spending long periods of time (total 6-7 months per year) in a small mountain hut right in front of Zeus’ Throne definitely colors the way that I see political and social events, not only in Greece but around the globe. I also meet and have the chance to talk to different people every day coming from different countries and different social and financial backgrounds (from Greek oligarchs, to ex-convicts and so on), which gives this small place a global four-dimensional perspective. It is no wonder that Ancient Greeks placed their Gods up here. The unique scenery, proximity to the sea, and the violent natural phenomena were crucial in selecting a place that represents all aspects of life (deities); this is Mount Olympus.
(the Plateau of Muses, photo by Mikhalis Styllas)
