2024-04-18 00:16:11
Reading the book “Alexandra Samothraki: Interview with myself
– 2024-04-11 18:46:44″>Psychostasis” by Alexandra Samothraki, I wondered if in some magical way our reactions to events of various natures, in which we are either directly involved or come into contact without our own initiative during our lives, were like those of the hero, how our lives would have been shaped. That is, how would we be if humor and irony dominated our speech and our behavior towards even the most tragic events. How would we experience our lives if we saw the tragic events from another point of view beyond the expected, the usual one. Or even, to put it more simply, if our perspective on everyday life was humorous, sarcastic and ironic. If she was self-deprecating. If we didn’t take anything seriously, it didn’t mean some kind of giving up on life. On the contrary, our active participation under this condition would probably be more useful to us. It would be self-protective. It is difficult, it is probably impossible for too many. It is perhaps even utopian to dream of something like this, it is as if we wish to change the model of our behavior, which has been formed over the millennia but also through social and cultural norms.
But this does not mean that such a thought is rejected. How is it not worth looking at, analyzing, keeping in mind as an extremely useful tool. From this point of view, Alexandra’s proposal is very interesting: Let’s put humor in our lives. Irony, sarcasm and self-sarcasm. To deconstruct in this way unpleasant situations and events or simple daily “anxieties”, e.g. the meddlesome mom who will never back down. Deconstruction through humor lightens the burden, pressure, stress, gives another interpretation to things and helps us overcome them relatively painlessly.
I found great interest in the political “stigma” of the book from the side of people’s reaction when their vision of a better world is precipitated. What do they do then? How do they react? Unlike the main character, who never misses an opportunity to mock and ironize, they enter the vicious cycle of revenge and self-destruction. The new, beautiful world they had in mind was just a figment of their imagination. The annihilation of their companions and themselves was the path they chose when the dream was lost. Their one-dimensional thinking allowed them no alternative. Like the change they desired for the world, it was based on the same kind of thinking, without considering the complexity of human existence.
Our hero emerges from the field unscathed. His unconventional attitude towards events and the alternatives he implements save him. Don’t be a victim, because he doesn’t victimize himself. And because above all he does not consider himself something important and is reconciled with his gaps and his imperfections. Our hero is involved in other people’s hell only that it does not become his own.
Psychostasis is a book with an exciting pace that pulls you in and you don’t want to put it down unless you have to, when the story comes to an end. And even then you might wonder if there will be a part two.
The text of Panos Zois, published today on agon.gr, was his speech at Wednesday’s event.