Athens, Greece -- Anxiety is a constant presence for people living in Athens as they ride the seven-year see-saw of economic survival and revival.

The signs of economic depression are never far from the surface in a state where the sun shines and the most prominent reminder of democracy and peace sits prominently atop the Acropolis, its marble visage visible from every corner of this city.

A mother who approaches and apologizes profusely while begging for a few cents to feed her family; a proud man who carries a worn briefcase to a job he no longer gets paid to do.

A man works at the Parthenon on Acropolis Hill in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday. | Daniel Ochoa de Olza Associated Press — A man works at the Parthenon on Acropolis Hill in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday. | **Daniel Ochoa de Olza** Associated Press

In response, European institutions have bailed out and chewed out Greece for its profligacy and dysfunction, but in the process, Europe fails to deal with its own survival and identity. As a result, the world is witnessing the slow death of the European project and the ongoing dissolution of the European Union. READ MORE