Autumnal Reveries....Where are we going?

Monday morning at 9.15 Anexartisias Street, Limassol. The shops are about to open in the expectant hope that there will be customers. People sleepily go about their daily routine. Cleaners mop the floors inside the shops, some of which are offering discounts. I casually pass a shoe shop that has been around ever since I remember. It's doors are firmly closed and a 'For Rent' sight decorates its display. This is the present situation. Growth and prosperity a distant pipe dream.

It's been eight months since the crisis of March where many lost their savings in what some would call an all out daybreak robbery. Cypriots are still feeling jittery and worry about what else will befall them. The present government I feel is trying its best to subdue panic. Our President has met with many foreign leaders to build stronger ties and sign agreements for a better future through this difficult time. The government is looking West at the moment, which is wise but also East in our strong bonds with Russia. Confidences are steadily being restored, but unemployment is still soaring and poverty is revealing its ugly head. I've had experiences of both. At present my father is trying to do his best to save the small family business we own and we are getting by on the bare essentials that we need to survive. Poverty in its more positive side, can build strength and brings us back down to earth. But people are feeling insecure, they wonder, where are we going? What does the future really hold?

We're not alone. Everywhere around the world there is discontent and protests of anger at what is happening. In Greece and Spain, we see the same issues of economic crisis and bailout deals. Yesterday Greece was at a standstill as people marched on the streets protesting. In Cyprus Troika has visited once again and is happy with developments, but Cypriots can't help feeling angry that once again in their history, they are being controlled by a foreign power. We just can't get away with the feeling that this little island has been a pawn for big powers to play with.

And what about the Cypriot Problem? It stands there glaringly and there doesn't seem to be any sort of agreement being reached. The irony is, that if the Cyprus Problem was solved, it would bring the much needed growth and prosperity to the island. I suppose its up to the big powers to sort that issue out and the Cypriot people to vote if a new referendum becomes feasible. Then there's our natural gas reserves, something which we Cypriots are very proud of. When will we reap the benefits? Economists speculate in about five years.

A lot can happen in five years and where there's a down, there is also an upwards, but when will it go the other way? Will we reach a moment again where we are prospering and growing, where shops are opening and not closing? Time will only tell and we can only hope. With patience and perseverance and a touch of positive force we can survive. So, where are we going? To a better future, hopefully.