Dear Mr. Tsipras, As of today, you are surely engulfed with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty as Greece enters its last few days before the upcoming referendum. As a leader during such harsh times, you must be feeling the immense burden of the future of Greece as it rests partially on Syriza's back. Precisely at such times, I would like to remind you of the fervor that sparked Greece on the day your party won. People from all walks of life celebrated Syriza, an apparent David in a world of Goliaths. While the optimism from that day has faded, the trust that accompanied it has not. In times of uncertainty, it is perfectly natural for people to act irrationally and lose faith in their government. Underneath these irrational actions and animal behaviors, is a deeply rooted longing for certainty, safety and economic prosperity. Keynes was keen to note that managing these animal spirits requires the steady hand of government-- merely allowing markets to work will not do it. In building the case for a more robust, self-reliant Greece, your government ought to first instill confidence in the system it has disrupted over the last week. Once people have access to the banking system and more than a few euros per day, they could then align themselves with your plans for negotiating Greece's mountain of debt. The Greek people, just like any modern citizenry, deserve honesty, respect and confidence from the ruling class. The pervasive effects of animal spirits this week need to stop; loss of confidence, fear and bad faith in the government stems from a place of human nature. In order to reverse these effects, you ought to adopt a radical tactical shift in the way you are dealing with Greece's creditors and the Greek people. Mr. Varoufakis places the failure of debt negotiations wholly on Greece's creditors, citing their refusal to reduce public debt and their insistence on its parametrically repayment. Perhaps it is time to stop the blame game and act with empathy and gratitude towards Greece's creditors? After all, when someone steps in to save another from drowning, the least they deserve is gratitude and kindness, both of which have been missing from your discourse. What lies ahead of you-- regardless of the outcome of Sunday's referendum, is an unprecedented opportunity. If played right, the next few months could define Syriza's legacy and its relationship with both the Greek people and its creditors. In order to do so, your party must approach the result of the referendum-- be it a "yes" or a "no"-- with caution and go back to Greece's creditors and start anew. This new relationship ought to be built on respect, mutual understanding and unity. The European monetary union might be showing signs of weakness, but instead of attempting mass-suicide, its members are working hard to help Greece. The hardest hand to grasp is a helping hand -- I implore you to take it and treat it with the same candor and gratitude that it was extended. Only then, can you reach a point of bargaining power and re-negotiate the current proposals that you claim "humiliate" Greece. Precisely at this time, I would like to remind you that the Greek diaspora has constantly accomplished the impossible at times of much greater chaos than we are experiencing today. Above all, the Greek people need to have faith in themselves. We now have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves and the image we project onto the world; instead of being seen as defiant and disrespectful, we ought to be united and cognizant of our actions. Let us remind ourselves that we are not David and the Eurogroup is not Goliath. We are both in this together and in order to face the insurmountable challenges ahead-- we ought to work together with our creditors with respect, humility and camaraderie. I wish you nothing but luck. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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