Thursday, July 8, 2010

Please, don't ruin my Europe!

Some may think of Europe as the recently-created European Union: a dangerous instrument led by political and economical interests, which keeps getting more and more control over our lives. Europe might be connected by some people to the bureaucratic "old continent" where progress happens, but not as fast as across the ocean. It might have the oldest universities in the world, but research work is not sufficiently granted and mobility is still a privilege for most of its students. Europe is slow, Europe is old-fashioned, Europe is falsely democratic...
While all these might be partially true, I love my continent and I love being a European. I have explored many European countries and I think there is no place in the world (perhaps only the Amazonian forest) where diversity  is as tangible as it is on the "old continent". In the range of some hundred of kilometres, everything can change, starting with language and religion and ending with toilet bowls or customs of giving toasts. If you go to the South, you will find large families eating and chatting around the table for hours and hours. Heading to the North, you will face people having quick dinners and lazing in front of a beer afterwards, somewhere in a pub. While Western Europe has always been the engine of the continent, the Eastern part has had to cope with the consequences of the devilish plans secretly developed by Europe's biggest powers. Now, we, young people of Europe, have left the past behind and are heading towards a Europe were diversity is lived. Diversity is desired and worshiped and Eastern Europeans are eager to head to the Western Europe, while the latter are exploring the remaining relics of the East with the eyes of an enthusiastic tourist. The traditions of another country can now be discovered in only one weekend-holiday, while the most recent tendencies in travelling include full immersion holidays, where people can directly experience national customs. Music and food are part of this experience, and their local origins are important ingredients for a successful recipe.
Our lovely Europe is based on the tomatoes coming from the gardens of the countrymen and on the overwhelming diversity of the ways we drink coffee or beer. I am happy to live in Europe because I know I will never get bored with her. She is like a perfect companion who knows how to party but who gets serious when necessary. She knows how to cook but she can adapt to so many types of food. She prays in a variety of languages to different gods and yet is independent and highly competitive. She has sunny hair of sand and blue eyes, like the sea, in the summertime but she can hide her white skin and warm smile under an umbrella during the rainy winter days. Most of all, she doesn't want to be a typical girl just like her other competitors. She is special because she doesn't want to change her way of being because she has her own ideals. These ideals include a high-quality life where traditions, health or culture are still big points on the agenda. For all these reasons, I'm asking : Please, don't steal away my Europe!

3 comments:

  1. You can really call yourself now an European citizen... in such a short period of time you have experienced so many cultures. You're right, Europe is lovely with all its diversities!

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  2. Viewed on cultural level Europe is indeed an example of diversity, but on economic and juridical level... that's another story. Hopefully, the culture is by far the safest way of maintaining diversity so I think we're safe. :)

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  3. I agree with you Raluca. Diversity is special characteristic of Europe and she has to preserve otherwise she will loose her uniqueness.

    However I think she has to be more compact or let's say more omogeneous at the same time. I don't mean we need to eliminate the various elements of the european culture but we need to find our common values and stress out the things that unite us.

    In a globilized world Europe has to construct a solid identity which will respect the differences among her people otherwise she will keep being a Babel...

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