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There are many ways one can look upon Dimitris Christoulas’s decision
to end his life in front of Parliament on Wednesday. Each has a
different interpretation, each has different implications but no matter
which one you choose, they will all fill you with sorrow.
On a
personal level, it is a tragedy that a 77-year-old man should feel so
discouraged by what he saw around him, so appalled by his own financial
misfortune and the prospect of scrounging through garbage to survive
that he should choose to shoot himself in the center of Athens.
One
can feel nothing but despair that an active member of his community
should feel so alone that he should opt to exit society in such a
dramatic way. It tells us of the isolation and hopelessness that many
around us feel. Lest we forget, it brings us face-to-face with the
impact of the crisis and the flawed economic polices it has spawned. We
see more clearly the people who have lost their jobs, businesses, homes
and aspirations. It reminds us that the human cost of the so-called
fiscal adjustment makes debates about the political cost irrelevant.