The Pursuit of Passion

So I've always had this problem... I've always had trouble fitting into society. For a number of reasons I suppose, but today I'll focus on just one of them, probably the most important one. It has to do with passion, with its repression and its pursuit.

You see it's not a big secret anymore that there is a specific way we're supposed to live life in our society. You are born, you go to school, you go to university, you get a job, you get married, you buy a house, you have kids, you get old, you retire and then you die. That's it, that's the mold, the prime directive, the great equation of modern life. It's not very different from following a recipe if you want to make some brownies. Follow the recipe and you're good. Follow the recipe and you'll fit in. Congratulations, you're now a good, productive member of society. Thank you for being compliant and have a good life!

The problem is, of course, when you decide not to follow the magic recipe.You become an outcast, a social misfit. People do not understand you and they do not like you. Because you're not like them. If you're one of those misfits, chances are you're gonna have a tough life. Unfortunately for me, of course, that is precisely my situation. So just in case you happen to be one of those misfits too, I'll just keep writing so you know you're not alone.

The thing is, this particular breed of misfit which I happen to identify with is usually very concerned about something most people tend to forgo as they grow old and wise (or so they might think). This particular kind of misfit places an obscene amount of importance on something we could define as "passion". I'm talking, of course, about those things they are truly passionate about in life.

Unfortunately for the misfit, it is not easy to truly pursue passion in life, specially as an adult. Remember, passion is not one of the ingredients of life's recipe according to modern society. Not only that, the pursuit of passion often conflicts with one of the key elements of said equation, that is, getting and working a job until you're allowed to finally retire some 40 years later. In fact, pursuing your true passions is so hard that the vast majority of people end up, at some point in their lives, giving up on them.

You see, giving up on your passions has some perks. First of all, it is actually a whole lot easier than pursuing your passions and getting a boring job that pays the bills. Things like becoming a writer, a musician or an artist are definitely not easy to accomplish. To achieve some degree of success in most common jobs is infinitely easier and less stressful. Also, giving up on your passions will actually, for the most part, allow you to fit in much better with the vast majority of your relatives, friends and people in general. Again, society wants you to fit in, to follow the magic recipe. And of course, working a stable job and letting your passions go or turning them into simple "hobbies" will definitely make you a better candidate for getting a loan to buy a car or a house. Forgoing your passions definitely makes life easier!

I'm here to tell you though, that is not enough. Not to me at least, and I don't think it should be enough for you either. This is because I believe one should not aspire to live an easy life, but rather a happy, meaningful and fulfilling life. A life driven by passion instead of comfort or fear or money or big cars and shiny objects. You are not the content of your wallet. You are not the car you drive. You are not the house you live in. You are much more than that. You are your dreams and ambitions and the courage to pursue them. This, I believe, is what truly defines you as a human being.

We have a responsibility towards ourselves to stick to our passions even when it is difficult to do so. To follow our dreams and remain ambitious even when we are surrounded by mediocrity and surrounded by people who will doubt us and criticize us as we fight to accomplish our goals. I believe that, today, in our day, we misfits should band together in order to inspire people to build a different society, one that is guided by the pursuit of passion rather than the pursuit of profit.  

Wake Up

So one day you wake up and you realize that you're not happy, that something's wrong. That, without a shadow of a doubt, you are living a life that you don't want to live. That maybe, probably even, you're living a life that wasn't meant to be lived by you. What do you do then? Do you just keep living that life or do you decide, right there and then, that you need to change your life? That you need to change your thinking? That you need to change your world?

Ok, sometimes things are not as simple as that. Sometimes it takes a lot more to realize you need a change. Sometimes that realization does not come swiftly and whole in one enlightened moment. Sometimes you have to feel it for a while, digest it, process it. Sometimes it takes many mornings waking up and feeling that you hate your life or simply feeling that you're not happy. That's probably the case for most of us because, after all, most of us are afraid of change. After all, life is difficult and complicated and everyone has bills to pay.

However, it doesn't truly matter how long it takes you to realize it. It can be one day or ten years, someday it just becomes so evident that you have no choice but to admit to yourself that you don't like your life. And at that point, when this knowledge starts to sink in and eventually becomes irrefutable, that is when you have to tell yourself and maybe even the world around you, "this is it. I've had enough. I will not keep living my life by someone else's rules, by someone else's expectations... I want to live a life that makes sense to me, a life that is worth living in my opinion, not yours, because at the end of the day this is my life to live".

Today is my time to say this.

So now the big question for me is: what does a life worth being lived looks like? I think that is really the big question for most of us and that maybe the answer is a little bit more simple than most of us think. I've come to believe that happiness should be like a compass guiding us in life. We should do with our lives whichever brings us the most happiness and fulfillment.  

The sad thing is, very few of us actually do this. Most of us, including myself, have become entangled in this web that represents normality in modern society. We forget to do what makes us happy and fulfilled and decide instead to sell our lives for money. We start to think that spending most of our time working in something that we're not truly interested in or passionate about is worth it because we get paid for our time. This allow us to earn and spend money in order to live mediocre, sad and comfortable lives. We do it because we have bills to pay and that is a great excuse.

The problem is that twenty years from now we will wake up one morning and realize that we've been living lives that we didn't enjoy and that time's finally running up and then it will be too late to change. We will tell ourselves, "I fell into a trap and now there is no way out..."

So let's not let that happen to us. It's time now to remember what really matters in life and money isn't it. Comfort and security aren't it either. What really matters is happiness and fulfillment and love and friendship. These are the things that should inspire our lives and that should shape the way we interact with each other and with the world. It's time to wake up.   

Nova Europa: Europe's Second Renaissance (Conclusion)

Old Europe finds herself at a crossroads. Two paths are presented to her. One leads to nationalism. To past mistakes. To mediocrity, irrelevance, weakness and even, potentially, self-destruction. Europe's been there before. Divided, Europe is a dangerous beast, mostly to herself. She is also weak and stupid. The second path points towards the future. Towards union, safety and strength. Ahead lies the glory that can only be achieved in unison by the peoples of Europe in the new century. A strong European Union is the only future that makes sense for Europe. It can be the primary agent of change in a number of areas.

Politically, the European Union can bring together a number of countries that are weak by themselves and make them strong by uniting them under one banner. Militarily, it can give Europe an army capable of protecting it from the super-states of the modern world, such as China, India, Russia and the United States. It would also allow Europe to fully escape the area of influence of the US and establish an area of influence of its own. From an economic perspective, a well managed European Union can give Europe a string currency and a stable, circulation free, economy capable of competing and thriving in the world arena. Culturally, a destitute Europe can be revived by an energetic central government who is willing and able to kick start a second European cultural renaissance. Scientifically, an European Institute of Science and Technology could serve as a motor for scientific and technological innovation and a well funded and well managed European Space Agency can help uniting the European peoples in the pursuit of one great endeavor that could grant her the renewed admiration of the world.

The process of European integration should be used to restore Europe's greatness. To unleash its second renaissance. Europe must leave behind the nationalistic divisions that harmed her so much in the past. Europe's nationalistic movements of the twentieth century drove her into the ground and almost destroyed her completely. The time has now for Europe to retake its place in the world, using its diversity as a source of strength instead of using it as a pretext to self-destruct. A united Europe, respectful of its differences but armed with powerful common institutions is the only intelligent way of understanding the future of a continent which has had enough internal wars in the past to last it for a thousand years. It's now time to work together towards the construction of a Europe that is more than the sum of its parts.

Nova Europa: Europe's Second Renaissance (5)

Unfortunately, the general decline of Europe has also affected its scientific and technological output. The continent that drove the world into modernity in the 18th and 19th centuries has lagged behind the two world powers in the second half of the 20th century. Europe practically missed out on the nuclear and space races of the past century and has lagged behind the US and Japan in the technological advancements of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Looking back at the 18th and 19th centuries, Europe gave the world nearly all of its technological marvels. Looking at the late 20th and early 21st centuries however, the contribution of Europe to humanity's science and technology pales in comparison to powers such as the Soviet Union, the US or Japan.

In order to reverse this trend, I propose the creation of a European Institute of Science and Technology, which would serve as the pinnacle of research and development in the continent. This would be the top of a pyramid of scientific research comprising national research agencies, universities and other public and private organizations. The institute should be created, financed and managed by the EU, and its output should be used to improve the lives of all Europeans.

The EU, as well as the national governments, should also pursue a policy of encouragement and active support of private actors in the technology and internet sectors, since a great deal of the great scientific and technological advancements of the past three decades were achieved by private actors in the pursuit of profit. Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Intel or Oracle are some of the best know examples. This clearly goes to show the importance of private initiative in the advancement of science and technology in our time. Internet and start-up companies should be given great conditions to flourish in Europe because the success of these companies often leads to the well being of the general public.    

Europe also needs a space program comparable in means and scope to NASA. The EU should actively support the European Space Agency and help it achieve this goal. If possible, the European Space Agency should also come under the European Union's control, since this would strengthen the link between the agency and the European community and would most likely also allow for a better funding of it. Space exploration is probably the single greatest endeavor ever undertaken by mankind and Europe has, so far, lagged behind the United States, Russia and China. A comprehensive program of space exploration would contribute not only to foster European pride but also a sense of united effort and purpose of its peoples since having a shared space program also means, in a way, having a shared destiny.

Nova Europa: Europe's Second Renaissance (4)

The nineteenth century was a time of great accomplishments for European culture. In music, it was the century of some of the greatest composers of all time, Beethoven being the greatest of them all. It also marked the birth of modern literature, giving the world many of its first great novelists, the vast majority of them from Europe. It was the century of Charles Dickens, of Victor Hugo, of Alexandre Dumas, of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Goethe among many others. In theater, it was the century of Ibsen, Wilde and Shaw. In the visual arts, it saw the rise of many of the greatest of all-time such as Cezanne, Gauguin, Goya, van Gogh, Monet, Rodin and Blake. It was also the last great century of philosophy, having seen the likes of Nietzsche, Marx, Engels, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Tocqueville and Mill. It also produced some of the greatest opera composers in history, such as Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. Overall, it was probably the greatest single century in European arts, the zenith of its civilization.

In the twentieth century, things were certainly very different. The energy of the great empires and the lives of its young generations were consumed, for the better part of a century, by wars inside and outside of Europe. The result was the death of millions, the destruction of entire cities, the collapse of once robust economies, the fall of some of the greatest empires in human history and the inevitable decline, in all areas, of the European nations. This was the ultimate legacy of the European wars of the 20th century. By the time Russian and American troops reached Berlin, Europe had become a wasteland.

In the second half of the century, the United States and the Soviet Union assumed the position of world leadership that had once belonged to the western and central European powers. The United States, in particular, seized the opportunity to take over as the world's leading military, political, economic, scientific and cultural power, a position it still holds to this day.

As a result of these profound political changes, the cultural outlook of the 20th century was radically different from the preceding century. The United States became the dominant power in almost all cultural domains, both new and old.

In literature, the 20th century saw the rise of the great American novelists. Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Charles Bukowski, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Phillip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Stephen King or J. D. Salinger, to name just a few. In Europe, in the same period, the big names became almost exclusively insular. George Orwell, Arthur C. Clarke, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ian Fleming, C. S. Lewis, William Golding and J. M. Barrie are some of the most famous today. The continent, however, produced few and far between world class writers comparable in skill and fame to the great 20th century English language literary masters. Furthermore, most of the greatest continental writers of the 20th century lived and wrote in the first half of the century, like Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, Herman Hesse, Erich Maria Remarque, Marcel Proust or Fernando Pessoa.

Opera and philosophy have become objects of curiosity to late 20th century and early 21st century people. The visual arts lost much of their relevance in the eyes of the public. Continental theater has also lost much of its weight to modernity, with the medium becoming increasingly dominated by the productions staged in London and New York. The musical in particular, an inherently American genre, has turned New York's Broadway into the capital of world theater. The 20th century was also a transfiguring era for music. The great composers, orchestras and symphonies of the 19th century are now ancient musical history. It is now called classical music and is far from being one of the most popular genres these days. Modern genres such as jazz, country, pop, rock or rap dominate the musical world today. All of these genres are dominated by American or, in lesser degree, British musicians. English has become the language of music. The European continent, once home of the greatest musicians in the world, now listens primarily to music from the United States or the UK, and produces little of its own.

In fact, the twentieth century was a deeply transformative period for culture in general. An important part of this process was the creation of a number of art forms that didn't even exist in the 19th century, such as comics, cinema, television and videogames. These new art forms shaped culture in the 20th century and carried on into the 21st century. All of these cultural media, in particular cinema and television, are almost completely dominated by the United States.

As a result of all this, Europeans have grown accustomed to surround themselves almost exclusively by American cultural influences. They listen to American music, watch American movies and TV shows, read American comics and novels and play American (and Japanese) videogames. They do most of these things whilst using the internet through American websites such as Google, YouTube, ITunes, Amazon or Netflix. They access these websites  using electronic hardware and software largely manufactured by American tech companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Intel or Hewlett-Packard. The United States is the world's leading military and economic power, yet its greatest power comes arguably from its culture which has conquered Europe and the World.

This state of affairs should not be allowed to persist. Out of all of Europe's present shortcomings, there is none more demeaning and prejudicial to the European spirit than cultural subjugation. In fact, it would be an immense mistake to underestimate the importance of culture in our society. Man is an inherently cultural being. Culture is a vital part of any society, having the power to shape men and women like nothing else. It is also the most important and durable legacy of any civilization. It endures the destruction of its parent civilizations and survives, if worthy, the passage of centuries or even millennia. Even today, nearly two thousand years after their demise, civilizations such as ancient Greece and Rome continue to be relevant to modern men in no small degree thanks to the everlasting appeal of those cultures and their cultural legacy in areas such as drama, literature, philosophy, architecture, mythology and the visual arts.

Culture is undeniably a big part of people's lives in modern European societies. As a general rule, Europeans dispose of a considerable amount of free time. a goo share of it being spent in cultural activities such as watching TV or movies, playing videogames, listening to music, reading books or going to concerts and sports events. It is fair to say than that Europeans are culturally engaged, yet most of that culture comes from across the ocean. This is leading to a process of increasing Americanization which degrades Europe and renders it culturally irrelevant. A situation that contrasts sharply with Europe's tradition of being a centre of world culture.

It is therefore imperative to take decisive measures to reverse this sad situation. This change must come from multiple sectors of European society and politics, from the bottom to the top, starting with the people. Europe needs more young people engaged in supporting and creating European culture. We also need to be more encouraging of young artists, just like we need to be more encouraging of young entrepreneurs. National governments should also realize the importance of culture and start actively supporting these creative forces. Finally, the European Union should be given the resources to sponsor the arts on a European level. It should seize this opportunity to achieve two important goals. Firstly, by promoting the arts on a European level, the EU will actively encourage the formation and consolidation of a pan-European culture and identity. Secondly, a vigorous EU program of development of the European arts is the best chance Europe has of regaining its place as a dominant cultural force in the world.

Europe is currently living a period of cultural dark ages. Its cultural importance in the world stage has diminished to a point of near irrelevance, and the whole continent is currently immersed in foreign, specifically North American, culture. This shouldn't be a cause for anti-American feelings, it should rather serve as motivation for European peoples and institution to work towards the goal of producing more culture and assert its own identity in the present century.

The EU should use the current cultural crisis as a pretext to launch a continent wide program of artistic development the likes of which the world has never seen before. This would allow it to save the continent from cultural irrelevance and subjugation and at the same time to establish the basis of true pan-European culture and identity.

This cultural project should be anchored by the creation of a European television channel, capable of broadcasting to every home in the continent, and managed by a newly created European Cultural Agency. The channel should broadcast European news, sports, films and television shows, original and syndicated from other European channels. Its mission would be to develop and promote high quality European cultural content.

Similar initiatives should take place in other areas of culture, such as cinema, videogames, comics, literature, music, theater, the visual arts, opera, dance, philosophy and architecture. The ultimate goal of the European Cultural Agency would be to create a cultural body of work the likes of which the world has never seen, therefore revitalizing the European arts. The status of cultural super power acquired in this way would greatly strengthen the EU and the European people. It would foster essential values and qualities such as dignity, pride, imagination, unity, solidarity, self-esteem, ambition and self-fulfillment. If the 20th century, marked by disunion and infighting, was one of cultural and political decline for Europe, the 21st century should be when it decides to rise again, united, strong and renewed.

Europeans have a unique chance at the moment to change their lives. To change history. It is, ultimately, a matter of choice. On one hand lies mediocrity. On the other lies eternal glory. It is time for Europeans to chose the latter by correcting their past errors. Nationalism and disunity brought Europe on her knees. Politically, militarily, economically, scientifically and culturally. Only union can save her. The European Union has the power to restore Europe's once great cultural tradition. It is imperative that it uses it and that Europeans get behind it.

Nova Europa: Europe's Second Renaissance (3)

A powerful and united Europe is not possible without a sound European economy. In a time of economic crisis such as now, people all over the continent blame the European Union for its economic  woes. This is, for the most part, an unfair accusation , yet, it is one that cannot easily be dismissed or completely refuted. People will always find a scapegoat in times of economic crisis, and the European Union is a great candidate. The euro, in particular, has been blamed, often and repeatedly, for the economic problems that Europe now faces.

However, the reality is that the European Union's system of free circulation of people and goods is a major plus for the continent's economy. The same could also be said for the existence of a stable common currency such as the Euro.

In spite of all of this, however, much needs to be done in order to improve the European economy. These changes must come from the European Union, the national governments as well as the people of Europe and its businesses, big and small. Solutions for current problems must be found on all of these levels if the European economy is to truly improve in a sustained and durable manner.

What cannot happen and will not, in any case, bring good results, is for people to blame the economic crisis on whatever or whoever they can think of, without truly thinking rationally about these issues and accepting their share of the blame. Right now, we have the Greeks blaming the Germans and the Germans blaming the Greeks. We have the Portuguese blaming Angela Merkel and the European Union. We have the British blaming Europe and foreigners in general. We have France blaming the EU and the Muslims. And so on... Yet, if we really want to improve  the situation, it is necessary to first blame ourselves. And then to blame a number o national governments who have systematically mismanaged national finances and robbed the state arcs. No one is more responsible for the economic problems of Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy than their own politicians, who have spent decades making a career out of robbing the people who elected them and mismanaging the finances of their countries.

Europeans need to elect better leaders but they also need to start thinking and acting differently. The first step is to stop blaming everyone else for their problems, including Europe and the Euro, and to start assuming some responsibility for their mistakes. The second step is to identify the problems and the third step is to start solving them.

The European Union and the European Central Bank need to start looking closely at their shortcomings and start to correct them. They should assume responsibility for their past mistakes and start doing a better job. This is the only way to gain the people's support.

National governments need to put a stop to corruption, especially in the southern countries. They also need to start spending less money than they make. This might sound like a very obvious thing, but in spite of being obvious it is a principle that is constantly overlooked by irresponsible national governments. The national debts of European governments, particularly southern ones, is too high and is constantly getting bigger. This leads to situations like those of Portugal or, especially, Greece.

There is also a problem of over-taxation in many European countries. This makes it hard for new companies to survive, and even harder fro them to thrive and expand, which in turn leads to shortcomings in the creation of jobs. An outlook of over-taxation discourages potential entrepreneurs, which in  turn leads to fewer jobs, high unemployment, low consumption and even lower tax income for governments. European governments must encourage, not discourage, the creation of companies. This will lead to the creation of more jobs which will allow people to spend more money in the economy and pay higher taxes which will ultimately benefit everyone.

A new age of prosperity can only be possible in an environment where people are willing to create new means of production, namely businesses. European economies have become stagnated and this is due, in no small degree, to the poor entrepreneurial spirit of young Europeans when compared to their American and even Asian counterparts. In an age of high unemployment, it is more important than never to create new businesses, to invest in businesses with growth potential and to develop and apply financial creativity. The new generations of Europeans will have to overcome the current difficulties of a stagnated European economy by proving themselves to be active, adventurous, hard working, imaginative, financially responsible and intrepid members of the active population.  

Nova Europa: Europe's Second Renaissance (2)

At the beginning of the 20th century, the great European powers were still the masters of the globe. The great British Empire was at the height of its extension and influence. It was only rivaled by the second French Colonial Empire, which included vast domains in Africa and Asia as well as minor possessions in the Americas and the Pacific ocean. New empires, such as the German, the Italian and the Belgian empires were conquering the last unconquered African territories. Even the old imperial powers of the early stages of European expansion such as Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands still held considerable lands around the globe and continued to have influence in the global affairs. Only the advent of the first and later second world wars would change this.

In 1945, by the end of World War 2 all of the European colonial empires had either fallen or were about to fall. At the beginning of the 21st century, Europe had only memories of shattered empires lost to history and eternity. It's power and influence were also gone, and they still are.

In 2015, only five European nations can be considered significant players in the world affairs. Out of these five (Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom) only France and the UK actually have reasonably powerful armed forces, and only Germany has a world-class economy. Still, even the  combined might of the British and the French armed forces pales in comparison to the American armed forces, and even Europe's biggest economy, Germany, is only a fraction of the size of the American and Chinese economies.

The sad truth is that Europe is not what it used to be, or worse, it doesn't even count anymore. Its economies are too small and its armies are even smaller. Even though the UK and France are members of the UN Security Council, their membership can only be justified at this point by historical reasons. The United States was the true reason why Russia didn't colonize most of the continent in the latter half of the twentieth century and the United States, through NATO, still controls the fate of Europe to this day. European nations, once proud and mighty, cannot truly guarantee their own safety anymore without the support of the USA. This state of affairs is not only humiliating for Europeans, it should also be a matter of much greater concern than it currently seems to be.

Spoiled by decades of peace, Europeans, especially western and northern Europeans, have forgotten the reality of war. At this point, Europe is heavily reliant on the good will of the United States. Should the American giant decide that it is not in its best interests to protect Europe anymore, Europeans could be forced to realize its own vulnerability. Because of geographical reasons western and northern Europeans have enjoyed the tranquility of peace assured by the protection of the United States. However, Eastern Europeans have been forced to accept Soviet rule, either direct or indirect, becoming thus more aware of their own fragility. Even these lessons, however, are starting to fade with time, except in Ukraine who is not being manhandled by the Russians as the rest of the continent watches impotently. An astute observer from Western, Northern or Central Europe should promptly realize that their safety is an illusion. The tiny European nation-states are no match for Russia in an armed contest, and as Russia continues to become stronger and more confident, it will probably become increasingly more aggressive.

Only a united Europe can restore the might of the continent, stand up to the eastern giants and reclaim its influence in the world. Europe needs an European army capable of matching those of the United States and Russia. Only then can Europe ensure its safety, its borders, its independence, its pride and its influence. An European army shouldn't be used to attack other peoples, but is essential to ensure that the people of Europe is safe and is capable of projecting its influence unto the world in a way that is beneficial to both Europeans and non-Europeans.

Furthermore, the constitution of pan-European Armed Forces, under the control of the EU, is a necessary step towards the creation of an European super-state. This would be a true union of the European peoples, supported by institutions, officials and armed forces capable of returning Europe to a position of leadership in the world. The existence of an European army would truly turn the European Union into a world power, capable not only of assuring the integrity of its territory and the safety of its citizens, but also of deciding the course of world events in the way that the United States, Russia and China are currently able to do. A common European army also means a common European foreign policy, an ideal that has so far proved elusive. It is, nevertheless, an essential ingredient in the construction of a Europe that is strong both internally and externally.