Sacrifice and debt

Every Greek is saddened and shocked by the death of Captain Giorgos Baltadoros off the island of Skyros Thursday and we are grateful to him. The ultimate sacrifice, the loss of an excellent young man in the prime of his life - a husband and father of young children - the reminder that some live with death so that we can enjoy our freedom, underlines the fact that nothing can be taken for granted, nothing is free. Neither freedom nor life.

It is not enough, though, to remember the people who lost everything so that we can go on with our daily lives, taking care of our own families. It is not just the roll of honor - the long list of men and women who gave their lives in service to their country - that keeps them alive among us. Their sacrifice should remind us continually of our debt to them and make us respond accordingly.

Our public life is dominated by a dangerous mix...