This year as every year I went back to the place of my birth, Greece. I go back to Greece once, sometimes twice a year if I can. The experience of my last and recent visit to the place was a different experience all together that has me sick to my stomach and feeling extremely upset.

Here in Ireland I read about Greece on a daily bases on the web, in the liberal mainstream and radical press and as well as I keep regular contact with people though phone calls and the internet. This gives me the false impression that I understand the current situation in Greece even though I'm living 2500 miles away from the place for a good 11 years now. Primarily I went back to meet good friends and family but also because I have that odd habit to travel around the place try to figure out things for myself.

I have to say that I'm quite overwhelmed with intense emotions that this casual scheduled visit to Greece caused. Under any other previous circumstances it should have been plain sailing but these are no ordinary times and circumstances - this not business as usual whatsoever!

From the big cities to the smallest villages the scale of the austerity measures that the Greek - Europe governments axis has imposed on the inhabitants of each place is more than obvious. It's SCARY!!

The austerity has hit the people differently but you should be very sure it has changed and is changing their understanding of life with an unprecedented speed which has not been witnessed before in a so called Western society, in modern times with the exception of mass armed conflict or natural disaster.

Same crisis different impact, that's what is obvious when you see what's happening at present in the Greek society. I want to add that it's a long way from the impact austerity has had so far in any of the the other PIIGS whatsoever. I'm referring here tn particular to the experience of the other country that I have experience of life, my adopted homeland Ireland

There are people begging every second step that you take for money and food. In the streets, the metro outside theatres, churches and kiosks, it's mad!! There are homeless people everywhere, sleeping rough any place they can find shelter from the harsh Athenian winter that has little comparison with the Greece of your summer holiday. Anyone that has spent a winter in Southern Europe understands what I'm saying here. Heroine users have multiplied! Nearly every second little shop and business is closed down and the ones left, struggling to survive carrying massive debt that they have not a chance in hell to repay.

For the first time in my life I felt threatened, unsafe and feeling uncomfortable around the people from my birthplace. The misery and despair, loss of pride and dignity is unseen but the worst is to come!

"Hope dies last" we used to say back home but I got the feeling that this hope, if any, is more like that of the walking dead

Never underestimate the power of a caged animal that you have left no way of escape. There is a big chance that it will break the bars free and then who ever is around at that moment will witness the full impact of the peoples anger.

This is one of the major problems that Capitalism has. It has no way and it does not even try to control the greed that the system itself, promotes. It destroys all of us and by doing so, it will end up destroying itself and all of those that back that system for vast financial profits.

WORDS: Kostas IMAGES: By chandrika221 CC Flickr