An Inspired Chat with Giannis Farsaris of Crete, Greece

We recently had the chance to connect with Giannis Farsaris and have shared our conversation below.

Giannis, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What battle are you avoiding?
The battle I avoid is the one against time itself, the endless struggle to hold on to every moment, to master every fleeting hour. I have learned that time cannot be conquered; it can only be embraced.

I also avoid the battle of proving my worth to those who see only surfaces. Instead, I choose quieter wars: to nurture openness instead of control, to defend knowledge not with walls but with doors that stay unlocked. Some battles drain the soul, but others -those of creation, sharing, and imagination- give it back its strength. And so, I walk away from the fights that demand armor, and toward the ones that ask only for an open heart.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I was born in 1973 on the island of Crete in Greece, and I have always lived there. I am an Informatics educator, but at the same time I am actively involved with the Digital Commons, Artificial Intelligence, and the freedom that open knowledge offers. I studied Computer Science at the University of Crete, Adult Education at the Hellenic Open University, and playwriting at the “Ignition Workshop” of the Poreia Theatre.

I am an author of literary books as well as books on Digital Creativity and Artificial Intelligence.

I founded the Greek Open Library, coordinate the Open Courses initiative and the “Reboot” podcast, while also taking part in various literary and cultural activities. I serve as Secretary of the Ethics Committee of the Hellenic Informatics Union and as editor-in-chief of the magazine “Informatics”. I enjoy bringing technology closer to creativity, and cultivating spaces of collective expression, such as flash fiction workshops.

I have had the pleasure of speaking on many stages, from TEDx to the Thessaloniki International Book Fair, the Biennale of Western Balkans, and numerous conferences. Wherever I am, I share the same concern and enthusiasm: how literature, technology, and Artificial Intelligence can meet and open paths toward something more human, more open, and more creative.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What often breaks the bonds between people is fear. Fear of the other, fear of difference, fear of losing something we hold dear. Misunderstandings, silence, and the walls we build around ourselves out of pride or insecurity also erode trust and distance us from one another.

The title of my second book is “No Fear” and it is a collection of short stories about the fear of loss.

What restores those bonds, however, is always something profoundly human: empathy, the courage to truly listen, and the generosity to forgive. Bonds are mended when we dare to share our vulnerabilities, when we recognize ourselves in the stories of others, and when we choose openness over suspicion. Literature, dialogue, and creativity are for me bridges that connect us again, reminders that beneath our differences, we all carry the same longing to belong, to be understood, and to walk together, even for a little while, on the same path.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would whisper to my younger self: Do not rush through the days as if they were pebbles to be cast aside. Each one hides a secret rhythm, a lesson, a gift. Trust the detours, for they are not wasted time but the true paths that will shape you. And above all, do not be afraid of your own strangeness. It is the seed of your uniqueness, the place where your voice will be born. Be gentle with yourself, because the world will sometimes be harsh, and the kindness you owe to others begins with the kindness you show within.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I have devoted myself to the idea that knowledge should flow freely, like water from a spring, reaching everyone who thirsts for it. That belief took form in the Greek Open Library (http://www.openbook.gr) a place where words, ideas, and stories are not locked behind walls but shared, multiplied, and reborn in the minds of those who encounter them.

No matter how long it takes, I remain committed to this: to an open world where access to knowledge is not a privilege but a birthright. Because I believe that every book unlocked, every page freely read, is a small act of resistance against ignorance and a small step toward a more humane future. The Greek Open Library is not just a project; it is a promise to keep the doors of wisdom unbarred for as long as there are seekers willing to enter.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If immortality were real, what would you build?
If immortality were real, I would build not monuments of stone nor towers of glass, but endless bridges of knowledge. A library without walls, where every voice, ancient or yet unborn, could be heard, where every story could find its echo across time.

I would weave together literature, technology, and imagination into an ever-expanding commons, a living constellation of ideas no one could own but everyone could share. For what else is immortality worth, if not to create a space where wisdom never withers, where curiosity never ends, and where each generation can walk further because the path behind them was left open and illuminated?

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Image Credits
George Kamelakis

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