“No matter what I do, I never win,” I want to exclaim, but then I realize it’s one in the morning and I drown my anger in a sip of Ukranian vodka fortified with hot chilly pepper, a memento from a trip to Kiev. They say it’s good for shore throat, but I have come to realize it can cure many things, albeit temporarily.

Going back to my early morning reverie, I think that no matter how hard we try doing things, we’ll always be second even when running alone. And this is because time is outrunning us constantly, becoming our opponent and judge simultaneously, triumphantly showing up at every turn to outdo our expectations!

However, what we’ve created in the process testifies to our unwillingness to give up, because unlike the Sisyphean stone, ours doesn’t go back down, it keeps going forward, like the bunny in the Duracell batteries ad, which thanks to technology’s advancement, can be recharged and last much longer, taking this trip to new seas and ports.

So, let us all rejoice in the fact that we almost reached the finish line this year having mastered the target number of 10 NEO issues, one slightly better that the other. A deed not to overlook if you take into consideration that it was a tough year for almost everybody, especially those in the publication business. But we can’t complain, you, our readers and supporters, stepped up to the task and made this endeavor possible, despite the surrounding Cassandras predicting one doom after the other and the end of capitalism as we knew it!

Lies! Crooks still get their bonuses, bigger than they expected, multi-billion wagers on fictitious products and money continue unabated, reform of any kind seems as remote as Mars from Earth ,and banks who took our tax dollars for their rescue, now that they are on the safe side give us no loans! The rich still become richer at our expense, so if that isn’t capitalism at its best, then what is it?

Well, I got carried away and I forgot that this is a Christmas issue, not necessarily the one where you are supposed to look back at things that happened in order to evaluate them. That process usually takes place before New Year’s, only to become scarce as the clock strikes midnight and the party regroups in full swing. Try to forget about everything bad and miserable this time and enjoy your Christmas and New Year’s Eve with less shopping, more love, good mood, funny company and intelligent conversation around pure drinks and a nice smelling-cigar here and there. This crisis has helped to remind us that we don’t need all things we perhaps don’t have now in order to be happy. As in decoration, often times less is more!

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DEMETRIOS RHOMPOTIS
dondemetrio@neomagazine.com