Friends are more important than a flat in Knightsbridge or a Porsche in your garage! Thinking otherwise, Euripides tells us, is nothing less than ‘madness’. For, ‘when joy comes, it’s good to have a friend to share it with. And if sorrow comes – God forbid – the deepest comfort is to see it reflected in the eyes of a friend’.
Having someone who will be ready to walk in when the whole world seems to walk out of your life is a blessing. Dependable as a parachute, he or she will give you exactly what you most need at the moment: understanding, support, encouragement and help.
But friends don’t come easily when we work hard to earn the money to buy what we ‘need’ except that, by the way, what we really need is so often beyond all our efforts. Capitalism is still far away from ensuring the mass consumption of happiness if the latter is disassociated from what is displayed in its cathedrals!
Yet, we need one or two people who know all about ourselves and still adore us! We need, actually, a network of friends. But what do you do and where can you go to find such friends? Online searches won’t do! I would suggest you go on a Skyros holiday.
I’ve taken several holidays myself and, although I have occasionally exchanged email addresses with people, I’ve never contacted or been contacted by any! This did not take me by surprise as sending post-holiday letters is nothing like sending or receiving bills!But Skyros is an entirely different proposition. It’s where we cease to be part-time humans – at least for a while!
People abandon in Skyros the land of superficiality, sign off the roles their professional or social standing is believed to require and stop playing the old games. The latter, just as Agamemnon, as described by his wife, Clytemnestra, are just like a net, full of holes! They allow, instead, their true selves to emerge and this in the certainty they would still be loved, valued and respected for what they really are. Concern, care and love for people rests in the foundations of it all as much as truth, honesty and trust. And this is what real and lasting friendships are based on.
The freedom to be who you are is a truly liberating experience. It’s also beneficial, not only in the short, but in the long term, too. Skyros is, indeed, the holiday you can take home with you – together with your new friends, often friends for life.
The latter will be there to make sure that you no longer need to worry if, for example, you are ageing, taking, in other words, this vital step to a long life, or if you can’t exactly handle the fact that your body is no longer comfortable in your jeans! They will be there, more seriously, if and when you really need them to join you in joy or when you find yourself in a space where pain is the host.
And this is far more valuable than a Stefano Canturi diamond necklace or a Porsche in your garage!
Skyros is the alternative to our commercialised world, the full-blooded dream of a life that makes sense. Don’t miss it. Join it now. You can do so even from your bed as long as the telephone or the WiFi is within reach!
Tel: +44 (0)1983 86 55 66
Holidays on Skyros island, Greece, will run from 8 June - 21 September. Grab one quick! With courses ranging from writing, art, life coaching, music, dance, abseiling, windsurfing, yoga and much more, there's something for everyone.
See www.skyros.com for more information, or call Gemma, Michelle or Laura on +44 (0)1983 86 55 66 or email office@skyros.com.
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