Today, I am thankful for those who stand up and vehemently express ‘no.’
Unlike almost every other animal in nature, humans are born relatively early in their gestational process. Some anthropologists have suggested that our capacity to stand erect as a species came at the cost of certain anatomical changes in our pelvis and lower legs. The sheer weight of asking a Homo sapiens woman to carry a child while also standing on her feet meant that our ability to remain in the womb for an extended period of time – that is, beyond a period of nine months – was no longer possible. Hence, unlike most other animals, human offspring are almost entirely reliant on their mother (and father) following birth for all their daily needs. Fittingly, a close bond is created between a mother and her child, which only is further reinforced as the neonate matures and expresses his/her appreciation with a smile, hug, or some other appreciative gesture.
However, as an infant approaches toddlerhood and gains the capacity to crawl and eventually walk, the natural tendency is to pull away from one’s parents. Not surprisingly, the developmental milestone of speech is characterized by that one word that breaks the heart of every parent – the word, ‘No.‘. At an early age, we quickly learn that a negative declaration, whether through spoken language or the vigorous horizontal shake of the head, gives us the liberty to explore our surrounding environments on our own, without the hovering arms of nearby adults. This process of gaining independence continues throughout early childhood (occasionally accompanied with a temper tantrum) even into early adolescence. By the time we are well equipped to leave the nest after nearly two decades under the care of our parents, we have mastered the art of saying ‘no’ to our parents:
”I think I’ll pass on the broccoli, Mom.”
“Dad, I’m afraid I can’t let you have your car tonight.”
“You want me to do what? LOL.”
So, it should not come as any surprise that, as adults, we will naturally regress whenever we feel our unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, are oppressed. When you come to think about it, the Declaration of Independence was nothing more than a somewhat lengthy epistle to King George III wherein the colonists expressed the word, ‘No.’
Today, we celebrate another historical moment when someone stood up (erect) and exclaimed ‘No’ to those seeking to oppress them. During the advent of World War II, the Axis powers of Germany and Italy, under the fascist regimes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, impinged on the freedoms of many European nations. By October 1940, Germany had invaded Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France. By this point, Italy had annexed Albania and parts of Northern Africa and was keen on occupying Greece in an effort to exert its dominance in the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, by early October 1940, Mussolini had methodically been increasing his forces along the Greek-Albanian front in preparation for an act of aggression.
On this day, October 28 in 1940, at exactly 3 AM in the morning, the Italian ambassador to Greece, Emanuele Grazzi, issued an ultimatum to the Greek leader, General Ioannis Metaxas. He demanded of Metaxas to allow the Italian army to occupy unspecific ‘strategic locations’ within Greece or otherwise succumb to war. Awoken from his sleep, Metaxas allegedly responded in Greek with a terse message to Mussolini: ‘Oxi’ (pronounced ‘Ohi’, the word translates to ‘No’ in English). Interestingly, Metaxas never technically used the word ‘Oxi’, but, rather, responding in French, he issued an even better response: ‘Alors, c’est la guerre,’ which fittingly translates as ‘Then, it is war.’ No matter what the response truly was, Mussolini had never waited to receive it. At 5:30 AM that morning, he invaded the mountainous Northern Greek countryside.
When the Greeks awoke that morning to discover General Metaxas’ response and that Italy had already invaded in the North, the Greek populace took to the streets in Athens, Thessaloniki, and other major cities shouting aloud: Oxi, Oxi, Oxi!
Much to the surprise of the Italian army, the Greeks held off their belligerent advance, and, in fact, over the next 4 months, even proceeded to make notable inwards into Albania. The resiliency and bravery of the Greeks was heralded worldwide as the first successful resistance by the Allies against the Axis’ military aggression. Eventually, frustrated at Mussolini’s inability to conquer Greece, Hitler would invade Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Greece, in April 1941, and the small nation surrounded by the Aegean and Adriatic Sea would eventually fall under the Axis regime. However, Hitler’s attention to the Balkan invasion diverted him from his planned attack of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbossa. When Hitler finally turned his attention to the eastern Russian front, winter was already settling in, and Stalin and his forces would use this advantage to stave off the Nazi attack. The valor and resiliency displayed by the Greeks, starting exactly 80 years ago this day, was a critical turning point in the war in favor of the Allies.
So, the next time your teenager gives you some serious sass in their negative response to your gentle request to clean the dishes, just remember that they are exerting their liberty. Sometimes, we all must stand up erect and express our independence.
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