3 minute read
21
from LINK #157
by NGO K.A.NE.
What’s the difference?
Greeks and Czechs laugh together
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Greece and the Czech Republic have seemingly little in common. The main obvious difference is the climate, which results in many other logical differences. According to many studies, warm weather and sea make people more open minded and positive. We can see that, for example, in the number of sunny hours per year: in Czechia, we have about 1500, while in Greece the number is around 2500. This is where more vitamin D and endorphins come from, which seem to ensure a happier life and a positive open mind, which I absolutely admire in Greece.
The Greeks live in the now! They don't think much about what will happen tomorrow or what happened yesterday, they rather enjoy often a strong bond for life. every passing minute. This brings a lot of joy and sorrow. On the contrary, a lot of sun also brings fatigue and the need for rest - siesta. Thanks to this, On the other hand, the Czech nature seems the prevailing opinion in the Czech Republic colder and more closed. However, when you is that Greeks are a very lazy nation. But the make a friendship in the Czech Republic, it is opposite is true. According to statistics, Greeks are more working than people in the Czech Republic. However, wages in Greece are lower, so in this case even higher performance results in over-indebtedness, unemployment and poverty.
Thanks to the warm weather, Greeks can enjoy long summer evenings full of fun, food and alcohol. Despite this fact, however, they do not drink more alcohol than the Czech beer nation. As of negative indicators, Czechs are perhaps only leading in alcohol consumption. At 11.6 liters per head, they drink 3.7 liters more pure alcohol per year than the Greeks. And life expectancy is increasing in southern Europe.
The most important difference, from my point of view, lies in the presence of the sea. It's not just about swimming and lounging on the beach: the view of the sea brings calm and slowing down. And in Greece, it is not just an ordinary sea, but crystal beauty blue water.
But these two nations have surprisingly much in common, too. The first data that we can quantify is the population of both countries, which is around 10 millions. Another thing that is somewhat different from other Mediterian states is the sense of humor. In the Greek, there is often a great deal of irony and black humor, which is very similar to the Czech one. Laughter is one of the most important components of human communication, and CzeThe important Czech director Petr Zelenka chs and Greeks often understand each other in works in a very similar way. His existential this regard. dramas turn into an absurd cycle of events at Evidently, this can also be observed in cinemawhat mystification is and what reality is. Even tography. The current so-called “Greek Weird these films contain very intelligent ironic huWave" has many elements in common with the mor. Among his films, I recommend watching Czech absurd existential comedies from the mainly Loners, Lost in Munich and Wrong 1990s and around the year 2000. At the head Side Up. No one would call them purely comeof this "Greek Weird Wave" is the director Yordies, but I am convinced that the Greek viewer gos Lanthimos. His films such as Kynodontas, would very easily understand this wit. Alps, Lobster seem like a serious drama on the outside. During the observation, however, the It is not important to look for what divides viewer discovers that these are worlds full of us, but what unites us, and laugh together. their own rules and inexplicable phenomena. Each film has a strong dose of ironic humor. some point, and the viewer no longer knows