Those citizens (and taxpayers in other countries) have paid a price for the failed bailout; now the Greeks face even greater hardship, whether we stay in the euro or are forced out. Worse, though, is the isolation that stems from a lack of communication between Athens and its partners. Both sides played a game of chicken, and neither was bluffing — the Europeans, led by Germany, were determined to continue imposing austerity; the Greeks were determined to ride their recklessness to the end. The Greeks’ demand for debt relief, and their declarations of restored pride, were seen by creditors as petulance. Instead of working for solutions, both sides sought excuses for failure.

The greatest damage, so far, has been the rift that it opened between Greece and our partners. We forgot that we are all supposed to be in this together, that Greece and the European Union should be indivisible, that the problems one country faces will be faced by others, that each country can survive only as part of the Union. A “yes” vote will oblige both Greece and Europe to solve the current impasse; a “no” will be an excuse to let Greece sink.

Within Greece, the tensions and divisions of the past few years have been compounded by the uncertainty of recent months and the real misery of the last few days. A “yes” majority might allow us to get down to the business of making Greece a viable economy while an integral part of the European Union; a “no” vote would divide us further, with economic woes and social tensions growing.