They're all greek to me

摘要

Some years ago, I was giving friends a tour of athens, also known to us wags as the Big Olive. Stuck in traffic, swallowing fumes in Europe's most polluted city, I proposed a visit to the Olympic stadium, situated below the Acropolis. The stadium was reconstructed from Pentelic marble in 1895 for the first modern Olympics the following year. A marathon race was in progress, and the Panathinaiko Stadium is where the race traditionally ends. The first 20 minutes saw vari- ous African runners come in through the propylaea, run one lap and finish. Suddenly a tremendous roar went up. "What's happened?" my friends wanted to know. The first Greek runner had appeared on the horizon, and as the place went delirious with excitement and joy, the Greek entered, did his lap, crossed the finish line in 46th place and then took a lap of honor while his disbelieving competitors watched in awe. This was very Greek. We look out for our own, no matter how far down they finish, and believe that it was God's will, after all.