The Power of Europe

So far I’ve focused my blog mostly on the abstract, the philosophical, and the personal. But from the start I have posited that the Philosophy of Balance isn’t merely about improving ourselves, it is also intended to scale up to the betterment of society, and ultimately to improve Life itself.

Today, I want to try and give an example of that. It’ll be quite a jump from our usual cadence, so consider it an intermezzo, or feel free to skip if you feel uncomfortable on topics of politics. Today I want to talk about our besieged continent of Europe.

Europe is in quite a painful position as of late. Me, as a non-politician, cannot really tell our leaders how to grow out of such pains. They’re privy to a lot more information than I am, so as an ordinary citizen I have little option but to trust they are handling things in a capable manner. Yet I also recognise that in today’s world there’s enough chaos and mistakes being made that such trust can be hard to come by. So here’s what I’ll do: I’ll look at the facts as I see them and then I’ll apply my own philosophy to see if there are good reasons to think such trust may be warranted. (Spoiler alert: I may be a trusting person, but I try not to be naive…)

Let’s start with some blunt facts that are worrying people and which may need addressing:

1. There’s a war in Ukraine, right at our doorstep, and the effects of that war are spilling into the EU and NATO countries. Government budgets are under strain as we’re providing aid, both humanitarian and militarily. Sabotage is also taking place in our territories.
2. Our culture as well as our budgets are under strain from immigrants from several directions. We have Ukrainian refugees, but also those from the Middle East and Africa. On top of that, we have a large amount of people coming to Europe not to flee war, but in an attempt to exploit the systems that were intended for actual refugees.
3. Our long-term partner, the US, is giving us the cold shoulder and telling us to take care of our own issues instead of helping us.
4. Another partner, the UK, even broke up with the institutions of the EU because they’d rather solve their own issues, instead of trying to carry half a continent while they figure things out.
5. Meanwhile, we have traitors in our midst who are eager to use EU institutions for their own gain while still collaborating with the aggressor in Ukraine.
6. And all the while, we also need to navigate internal unrest as the historical boogeyman, the far right, is roaring its ugly head again.
7. As a result, EU countries are increasingly afraid, confused, and divided. Or are they?

I could make this list quite a bit longer if I wanted to, but this is already a lot for a single blog post, so let’s try and look at the underlying reasons for these problems and see how they are being dealt with.

One of the core tenets of the Philosophy of Balance is honesty. This is why I believe we need to be able to state uncomfortable truths. Bluntness is sometimes required, lest we cannot acknowledge our true problems otherwise. Political parties that shy away from openly stating hard truths are doing the public a disservice because they assume the public cannot handle such truths. This, I believe, is why the political left is currently having a very hard time in Europe. Too often, they sugar coat the truth in an attempt to avoid offending parts of their demographics. But in times of turmoil, when certain demographics are at each other’s throats, difficult choices may need to be made and sugar coating isn’t going to cut it.

This places the rise of the far right in a more understandable light, but of course that doesn’t mean their rise is a good thing. They are a voice for discontent, and in a democracy, such voices ought to be listened to. But that doesn’t imply we want them in seats of power.

Meanwhile, American voices are actively fuelling the flames by encouraging such discontent. But are they turning into our enemies or are they doing what a true friend might do: rubbing our noses into the facts so that we may deal with them?

The British did a remarkable thing. While leftists are still staring at the economic hardship of the Brexit, those with a longer vision may value independence over short term economic interests. At least they are shielded from a lot of fallout depending which way the EU goes.

Yes, the EU is vulnerable. Yes, we are under siege. But we’ve survived the fall of empires before, and we also know that panic is not the answer. There is still reason for hope. Besides, we still don’t know which empire, if any, is about to make a fall. I’m not much of a betting man, and I certainly wouldn’t bet on any of today’s empires. But I did make one major bet when I started my philosophy though: I bet on a more balanced future.

Okay, before I start truly rambling, let’s get back on track: I’ve listed issues, I’ve given a tiny hint of analysis, but we are not really closer to understanding, are we?

Europe is going through immense growing pains right now. It’s learning lessons it hasn’t needed to learn in many years. We’re talking decennia here. But the continent is a lot older than that, so anyone with a grasp of the past should be able to put this into perspective.

We are the continent of the great Greek philosophers. We are the continent of the Catholic Church, and the Protestant Church besides. We are the continent of the Roman empire. We are a continent afflicted by two World Wars that saw intense tragedy, yet we are still here.

War is on the table right now. In fact, we are already involved. Right now the Ukrainians are fighting a war on our behalf because we have become too complacent to fight our own. That means we must choose. Do we get our sh*t together or do we let the war come to us?

I cannot make such decisions for others, but I can tell you that the Philosophy of Balance has a strong gravitation towards keeping shit together.

So let’s assume we all vote for keeping shit together, then what are the lessons we must learn? These are my takes:

• America is teaching us that you cannot always assume that your friends will clean all your shit for you. Friend or enemy? We cannot assume, this is something we need to do ourselves.
• The war in Ukraine is teaching us that we cannot be negligent when it comes to our own security. Ukraine is paying an inhuman price for trying to be our friend, and we cannot let them fall lest we become even worse ourselves than the Americans are to us.
• The far right is teaching us that if we neglect the concerns of our own population, we are the ones who engage in the building of ivory towers while we pull up the draw bridges at the same time. They deserve to be heard lest we become the oppressors.
• The left is teaching us to remain emphatic, and they are right to keep pointing that out.
• Traitors are teaching us that it is difficult to trust others. Even more so when we find it difficult to trust ourselves. We ought to be wise to distance ourselves from those we cannot trust, but we can never escape ourselves. We must learn to trust or keep playing folly games forever.

These are hard lessons, especially when you need to internalise them all at once. So of course the EU is appearing conflicted and divided and confused. But are they truly making a mess out of it, or can we trust them? Maybe the question should be: can we trust them even if they make a mess of things?

My verdict is a cautious yes: We should trust them. Let’s look at one more round of facts:

1. They are listening to the far right, by organising refugee camps near the borders. It’s not always pretty, and by no means is it perfect, but if you think they’re not listening a hearing aid may be required.
2. They are trying to protect Ukraine while showing restraint to the aggressors, while simultaneously balancing internal budget concerns. They’re being careful and protective at the same time. Something any parent should be able to relate to.
3. They’re absorbing criticism from their long-term friends that are also under a lot of strain dealing with their own issues.
4. They’re keeping their friends close and some of their enemies even closer.
5. They’re learning to be assertive without resorting to aggression.
6. They appear to be still trusting each other, while learning not to be naive about such trust.
7. And all the while, they are also still keeping their eyes on long-term stability and sustainability.

I don’t know about you, but I recognise that as a true power. Almost like a dynasty going back thousands of years. Sometimes it may appear as if we’re being overshadowed, but I believe Europeans really have a thing or two to be proud of, after all.