Tessa Schlesinger
Let’s start with the European Union
This morning I received a mind-blowing email from the European Commission. I want to quote from it, because if you have arrived at the same conclusions that I have, it will blow your mind.Notably, the EU has reached a crucial milestone as more than 70 % of Europe’s adult population are now fully vaccinated. … Thanks to the EU Digital COVID Certificate it is now possible for you to travel safely again. … The EU leaders have decided to look forward and invest heavily in our future through NextGenerationEU — our historic recovery plan. It is a once in a lifetime chance to emerge stronger from the pandemic, transform our economies and societies, and design a Europe that works for everyone. Together we are investing the unprecedented amount of over 800 billion euro in initiatives that will make Europe healthier, greener, more digital and more just.
Did you get that? The European Union is going to create a new economic system that works for everybody, and it going to invest $930 BILLION into changing the system for the greater good of all.
However, the European Union isn’t just going to put together a lot of stuffy old men and let them plan it. Nope. They’re actually asking for my input, and the input of every other European out there. Let me quote to you.
But making all this real and shaping our future together would not be possible without your personal involvement. The EU has therefore invited all citizens to debate on Europe’s challenges and priorities. No matter where you are from or what you do, this is the place to think about what future you want for the European Union. On the digital platform of the Conference on the Future of Europe you can take part directly. You can make proposals, organise or participate in events, and follow debates in panels of randomly selected citizens.
Holy hell! This is what you call a direct democracy, where the input of every single one of 448 million people counts.
But that’s not all. Wait! Not only is there a platform for all Europeans citizens to debate the issues, but the EU is putting money aside for ordinary people like me (and other European citizens) to fund projects that we wish to implement. Again, let me quote.
If in addition, you are looking for funding opportunities for your projects and ideas, feel free to consult the information about the new EU funding programmes that were launched this year. Your projects will be most welcome to help us implement our common EU priorities.
And then, just to inform me how important European citizens are in planning our together-future, they end their email to me with:
We would be very glad if this overview motivates you to dive deeper into European Union matters and contribute actively to shaping our common future.
The gross domestic product for the EU for 2020 was $15.43 trillion. The gross domestic product for America for 2020 was $18.38 trillion. The gross domestic product for China for 2020 was $14.87 trillion. So that would put the USA as substanitally richer than the European Union. In addition, while Europe has 448 million people, the States only has 330 million people. China has 1.4 billion people.
America — the richest country with the not-anymore-most-powerful military in the world.
While the European Union understands that the world has moved on from the little people being little and the big people being lords of the universe, America remains in an early to mid-20th century mindset. Focus has been on the sovereignty of the individual, the accumulation of personal wealth at any expense, and the empowerment of the military at the expense of citizen essentials like a solid education, good medical care, a safety net, and more.
As a consequence, America is more oligarchy than democracy. Laws have been passed for generations giving mega-corporation the kind of power to suck the blood of consumers dry. Yet, that is not the worst part. The worst part is the horrific ignorance of a large section of the population, resulting in conspiracy theories, belief in gods, and a refusal to heed science. In additon to that, the stress level of Americans has resulted in obesity, 25% life-long mental illness, another 25% episodic mental illness, and psychopathic politicians (and a past president who looks like he’s also going to be the next president).
Forty six million people in the USA have been infected with Covid. That’s 14% of the population. Some 740,000 have died. In the European Union, 19 million people have been infected with covid. That’s 4.24% of the population. Some 295,000 have died. As China is not that forthcoming, I’m not going to detail their figures, but, arguably, they have one of the lowest mortality rates in the world.
In other words, the quality of life in America, despite the individual being king, is not a good one.
China, an emerging super power — both militarily and economically
China recently demostrated the kind of military strength innovation that puts America in second place. For years, America has been claiming that China stole her inventions. Actually, Asian people are far more intelligent than Caucasian people, and their civilisation is far older than that of the west.
They could easily have reversed engineered a lot of the products they were given to produce, and in addition, whereas the Americans have focused on making money any which way they know, the Chinese have been investing in education and infrastructure. Their government comprises engineers. In other words, Chinese leadership can add, subtract, and arrive at the right answer.
China also built a silk road so that she could transport goods rapidly through Europe. She has built infrastructure in Africa, and she has invested heavily for the future.
So why is America a dying Empire despite still having the most money and being a strong military power?
America places her power in the sovereignty of the individual. Both Europe and China place their power in the hands of the collective. America is a young country, and so has not learnt the wisdom of old empires — that it is people working together that win in the end.
Two people are better than one. When two people work together, they get more work done. If one person falls, the other person can reach out to help. But those who are alone when they fall have no one to help them. If two people sleep together, they will be warm. But a person sleeping alone will not be warm. An enemy might be able to defeat one person, but two people can stand back-to-back to defend each other. And three people are even stronger. They are like a rope that has three parts wrapped together — it is very hard to break. Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
A single twig breaks, but a bundle of twigs is strong. Tecumseh, Shawnee warrior chief.
America has failed and is failing because of her culture of individualism. Each man vies against the other. The winner takes it all, and the losers are left to cope as best they can. In addition, so desperate are individuals to accumulate that they will find reasons not to support others.
“The government is stealing our taxes.”
“People who don’t work shouldn’t eat.”
“The rich shouldn’t contribute or support the poor.”
It is that single attitude that is the cause of America losing her empire. It is the collective wisdom of people working together for the greater good that builds an empire.
John Donne’s poem — For whom the bell tolls. Own artworkWhat of the nations outside these three empires?
Some will fare better than others. Those countries that use the collective principle and ensure that their people are healthy, housed, and in possession of good skills will flourish and survive climate change to some extent. They will work together to protect themselves. Those countries where it’s one man against the other will perish under the natural disasters that are coming.
According to scientists, the safest countries in the world will be large islands. The top three are Ireland, Iceland, and New Zealand. Interestingly, Ireland is part of the European Union and Iceland is part of the European Economic Community (EEC).
That said, with the new initiatives taken by the European Union, I think it’s about to change the world.
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