The European Union was created to achieve many things.
These include political, economic, and defense benefits,
which have all played significant parts in the development
and advancement of Europe in the modern world. However,
the most important aspect of the European Union to me
is the social accomplishments that have been made across
the wide terrain of cultures and regions that is Europe.
The
relationship between each European country within the
European Union helps distinguish Europe from any other
continent, specifically, the way each country has a distinct
history and culture, yet they all share a common “European”
identity. Each country is like a different child in one
family; they each grow and develop differently, but they
always have inherent common attributes. When I went to
France for the first time last summer I didn’t realize
that I would also be, indirectly, visiting Germany, and
Slovakia, and Denmark, and Portugal. My journey to be
exposed to French culture and life turned into a full
Euro-trip where I met many different Europeans, all sharing
with me a desire to discover France, and to discover each
other’s own culture along the way. Such a feat could
only have been accomplished with help of the organization
of the European Union.
One
thing I noticed about almost every European I’ve
ever met is that they are so educated and aware of their
other European neighbors. I was amazed at how educated
they were about the world around them and ashamed of how
ignorant I was of so many things beyond my country’s
boarders. America can never claim to foster such values
of other cultures the way they are promoted in European
countries. Many of them could speak a little of almost
every European language within the EU, and knew people
in those respective countries as well. The close proximity
of their respective countries can be given some of the
credit for this, but the European Union has helped them
to mingle so much that they can fairly claim knowledge
about many different countries and have friends in many
of them as well. All of this has allowed members of the
European Union to see past many cultural walls and to
view foreigners not as completely different species, but
as similar members of the human race.
The
European Union has helped establish the concept of “humanity”
amongst Europeans. The idea of distinct, autonomous, individual
countries that were almost completely self-concerned has
suddenly seemed ridiculous in the face of this new collective
unity. In this way, Europe can distinguish itself from
the rest of the world. The European Union has been the
catalyst for turning Europe into a social example for
the rest of the world. Hopefully, this model will be recreated
in many areas around the world to create a better future.
