THE EUROPEAN WAY - Chapter 2
Chapter 2Posted by Aki Paasovaara Saturday, December 30 2006 19:14:51
Values, principles & practices-
Have you ever observed when two nations see the same issue, disagree, and yet both be right? It is not logical, but philosophical. The key is in the way the opponents understand and interpret the world.
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Our values are not some bureaucratic orders or religious texts, but are expressed constantly in our daily practises. It is not coincidental that Europeans are regarded enjoying the highest quality of living, being the most equal, most efficient, most competitive, or least corrupted. These are simply statements of our values and principles.
Our values and principles explain how the society should work, and offer the design for a certain social order: The European way of living and doing things. Europeans, like everybody else, have deep hold assumptions about the nature of man, which contain a mixture of what is good and bad, of vice and virtue.
The European Way is simply our way to understand and interpret the world
The European Way is the values governing the nature of the European citizen, our moral and ethical principals. We share the same orientations, attitudes, beliefs and underlying values. We see the world through “European lenses”, - as we are conditioned to see it. And our attitudes and behaviours grow out of those assumptions. This has contributed countless similarities in the European culture, politics, religious approach and economical activities. We have made similar choices, not only because we share a geographical area, but also because we share moral and ethical values. These values are the source of the way we think and act, and most of all, the very basis of our existence. Our values have made us what we are. The European Way is our common identity.
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The world is bursting of things waiting for to be interpreted and debated. When we evaluate what is good and what is bad, vice or virtue; we need to keep in mind that we are responsible for our own happiness, circumstances, and ultimately:
We are responsible for our own destiny
The European Way of living is best preserved and renewed when we, ourselves are in lead of our own destiny, - rather than accepting randomly given values and practices. Here is the federalism the central key as it stands for our natural desire for renewal, integrity and unity.
Federalism is the tool to preserve and renew the European way of living
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The renewal of the European way has to based on common sense, that forms the basis of our values and practices. Most importantly, the process has to leaded from inside, not outside. We need to focus on European life on its most basics by asking who we are and also how can we become better.
We need to clarify our identity, cultural practices, social interests, and most of all we need to clarify our values.
We also have to reassert ourselves. This means that we need to evaluate and learn from others’ experiences as well as our own. This is also why we can learn and unlearn our practices.
In order to do that, we need to be aware of our uniqueness, evaluate the surrounding realities and find the optimal way things should be. The more we are aware of these realities, the more we can take responsibility for them, evaluate them, test them against our own values and learn from others, thereby choosing our own destiny.
The renewal of The European Way means to start first with self: to start with the most inside part of self – our values, the way to interpret the world and our practices. Self-realisation - being aware of our uniqueness, both in good and bad, is essential for the success. The process starts with the second principle of The European Maxim:
2) We need to find values that work, or don’t work for us
Self-realisation is the initial key to the first genuine European era of cultural richness, economic affluence and political influence.
- Comments(1)http://book.europeunited.org/#post1
