by Cal Mcaffrey

Created on: October 23, 2010   Last Updated: October 28, 2010

We cannot say with certainty what the main goal of formatting the European Union was. In a matter of fact, there were several ones. For some it was purely of economic character. Others wanted to take the guilt of Second World War off of their back. Still, there were also those people who had the idea of uniting all European cultures into one that would be based on tolerance. Half of a decade later we still can’t see harmony between countries. The question of national identity is a sensitive subject for every nation. Instead of learning on mistakes that caused both World Wars, the European people became even more extreme and the high representatives of EU failed to accomplish one perfectly pictured idea.

Is this dream really that hard to turn into reality? The answer is both positive and negative. It should not be hard if we would all be aware that we did not choose our nationality, religion and place to be born in. However, many people refuse to think that way and that is where we face with the negative answer. They value not what they have achieved but what they have been given without their choice more than what has been given to others. Those people put their nation beyond others which directly associates us with what we had in Nazi Germany. National pride and religious predominance are the two main issues that are tearing apart this big project called EU.

We might speak different languages and don’t have the same day routine but we do have the same human needs. Many EU opponents think that by entering the EU, a country and its people lose its identity and become assimilated into those big nations that have the biggest power. They talk about conspiracies against their own people. But ask yourself what your identity is. Is it something your ancestors left you in legacy or success you have accomplished in your life?

The idea of making Europe a big borderless territory where all cultures would be opened to each other would make everyone’s life much easier. It is something the USA did first although they too have the same problems with discrimination, immigrants and xenophobia. This all is not about high unemployment or low salaries. It is not even about economy anymore. It’s about us not being ready to accept the fact that we are not the only ones on this planet. One day we might not have any borders, countries or nations anywhere in the world and religion would be a personal matter. Think about John Lennon’s song Imagine. It is not impossible for the world to be as one.

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