And I want to apologize for myself…for not doing enough.
By Maro Fieros
I’ve been meaning to write a post like this for a while. To reach out to you, my dear friends and fellow Cypriots, who live on the other side of the Green Line.
I hope you all read this because it’s written for you, and it’s about all of us..
I wanted to say that I understand and that you’ve waited patiently and long enough for a solution to our little (!) problem.
During this time our parallel lines have started to weaken and buckle, but hey… we mostly held them well.
55 years of conflict and strife is a long time to hold friendships together, especially when challenged by geography, bigotry, and inequality.
Many of us held our lines tightly, as long as possible, never allowing others to spoil what we had with their bitterness and hatred.
We all grew up together and we shared so much of each other’s lives. That we’d always be good friends and compatriots was a given, wasn’t it?
You were all formidable, a force to be reckoned with, never faltering. You took every opportunity to reach out to strangers, to be active in multicultural groups. You never missed a chance to show kindness and tolerance to others.
I was different. Not because I cared any less about uniting our country, but because all was well in my world and the urgency to take action simply didn’t occur to me. I was sure that things would work out with or without my help, but I was wrong. All voices need to be heard.
I want you to know that I feel it now… the empathy you’d spoken of so often but don’t mention any more. I need you to know that pain, misery, and injustice are now my constant companions.
And I want to apologize for myself…for not doing enough. And for every other Greek Cypriot who has settled into a poisonous cocoon of false contentment lined with spite, punishment and of course…more pain.
I want to apologize for confusing sympathy with empathy. I want you to know that I understand that you’ve been pushed so hard, and for so long that you are now considering the worth of what you wished for, and are perhaps seeking solace elsewhere.
I want to ask you to stay. I want us to try and steer this ship home altogether.
