What does
the European Union mean to me? To compress all the emotions
the European Union arouses in me into one word is near
impossible. When I Think of the European Union, my mind
travels to the beaches of Andalucía, to the sprawling
countryside of the United Kingdom, to the grandeur of
the Coliseum, to the pillars of civilization in Greece,
and all the way back through the snow dunes of Lapland
to the sidewalks of the Champs d’elysee.
When I imagine
Europeans, I see an infinite crowd of people from every
nation, every religion, and every variation coexisting
peacefully. I see an active, democratic society ready
to innovate in an ever-changing world and face tomorrow’s
challenges. I see a group of extraordinarily unique countries
that have overcome insurmountable obstacles and have united
as one. The Iron Curtain was complete in 1961 with the
construction of the Berlin Wall. The hopes of a unified
Europe were dim and the light at the end of the tunnel
seemed impossibly far to reach. As the rest of Europe
and the west moved onward, forging a strong economy and
creating the preliminary stages of what would one day
be a European Union, East Germany stayed behind and was
removed to the back of everyone’s mind. By the time
1989 came around, the Soviet Union was in turmoil, the
people of East Germany were crying for freedom and the
collapse of the wall was what they wanted,and so they
had it, the Berlin Wall fell. Twenty-eight years after
the wall was erected, it fell and Germany was unified
and the people of East Germany were part of a democratic
society.
A powerful,
oppressive barrier had been broken only because the people
came together as one and broke through. After World War
Two, London was left in shambles. The economy of the United
Kingdom destroyed, its people despondent and in despair.
Even in those dire times, the people of the United Kingdom
pulled together, slowly but surely, and recovered. They
enacted legislation to provide healthcare for all, the
government provided social programs to feed and assist
those who needed it the most. Those who had more helped
those who had less. Yet again, a European nation was faced
with an overwhelming impediment and through unanimity
and fraternity, it pushed through and succeeded. These
are only two examples of the people of Europe coming together
to succeed. There are countless more throughout the broad
history of Europe. The message these events represent
is that Europeans have individually faced large hurdles
and have combined their talents in one community, one
society, one continent, and one union, all for the common
good. If I must choose one word to represent all that
the European Union signifies to me, one that embodies
the spirit of Europe and its people, it would be unity.
