SHARE It’s spring 2012 and on the Aegean island of Rhodes, an earnest Greek shopowner clutching a fistful of worry beads tells me: “Yes, there is a problem, but we didn’t cause the problem.” Greece’s debt crisis was in full swing and people were feeling the pinch. Three months before, the country was bailed out to the tune of €240 billion ($290bn). But what caught my eye were the beads. Were they for praying? Breaking off from his tirade, laughing, he said no, and then effortlessly made the loop of black stones dance through his fingers. The loops of odd-numbered beads are a peculiar mix of pastime, stress toy and good-luck charm. Courtesy Komboloi NYC