Fri 24 Feb 2006
One of my friends has sent me this interesting article. It’s a very honest look at the situation of Europe today – even if blunt and a bit simplified. Fareed Zakaria summarizes why future of Europe looks less bright than EU officials would like us to believe.
It’s no news to me. The plain truths are that a country to be prosperous needs people who work hard and with dedication, putting all their intelligence and skills into it as well as healthy families with kids, founded on a core of strong values raising honest, good members of the society. And, additionally, such a society must be ready to use force to protect said values and families both from criminals at home and enemies abroad. And, sadly, centuries did prove that humans need insecurity and competition to thrive (just, BTW, like most other species) – without those two unpleasant motivators societies fall into stagnation. Europe rejects that and what happens now is a simple result of that.
Europe now rejects family life – I’ve read once that in Sweeden only 1/3 of kids born now would reach adult age – 18 years – with the same pair that conceived them – which means that 2/3 of Swedes would have all the emotional scars coming from going through parent’s divorce, possibly more than once. Being a family man is not chic, is not cool, being a mother is even less cool. Singles are.
Europe also rejects the use of force. And within its own borders Europe has now millions of Islamic migrants. They are not particularly worshiping hard work but they are definitely ready to use force as recent events through the continent have proven beyond doubt. Guess what happens if those willing to die for their ideas clash with those not willing to get off their couches to defend what is left of theirs?
Last but not least Europe rejects hard work and competition. EU members could contend for the title of world capital of laziness. It’s here where they have all the absurd and complex labor regulations, all kinds of welfare programs and other such that are nothing more but ways for people who don’t work to live off someone else’s work without, of course, their consent. In Poland, for example, it was announced about two years ago that the total number of beneficiaries of all kinds of state welfare surpassed the number of… employees. It means that everyone working here has some parasite sitting on his back – and the total of taxes confirms that, each employee gets less than 50% of what it costs the company to employ him. Now, how far can you run with someone on your back? Sweden is even worse – you can now get leave from work there by going to a doctor who would diagnose you with work induced stress. Guess who pays for that. No wonder that, as I read in some other article, less Swedes decide now to go to university – why go through all the effort of studying if the only thing you’ll get with a better job would be higher taxes?
Europe has to wake up and shrug away socialism – because that’s what it is. The problem is whether that is at all possible. Europe seems to have lost its spirit, its balls – to put it colloquially – it doesn’t seem to have a mission in the world, a reason for existence, a deeper sense of purpose and aim. Thus all the meager political problems like how to change the Common Agricultural Policy (a great idea of basically paying farmers for not farming) without changing it or what is the approved definition of feta or vodka (I’m not kidding, there would be one official definition of liquida that could be called vodka in the EU and there is a serious discussion reported in the media between groups of countries). It’s nothing anyone could be excited about – and that’s a pity. European integration could have been a great, deep idea but not peddled by the likes of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
Good there would be at least one place left to continue on foundation of European culture and civilization – it’s most vibrant, active and dynamic part since the WWII – the US. What worries me, though, is that it is already infected by the leftist memes too…
February 24th, 2006 at 20:51
the only thing that keeps me calm after reading this is the conviction you have no idea what you’re talking about….cheers:)