In the French election last weekend, one person in five voted to leave the EU and restore the national currency and sovereignty, and Holland, previously a strong upholder of strict debt reduction measures by other member states, is in crisis as it confronts its own economic woes. The situation of unease and resistance in many EU countries reminds me of our human journey, where we repeat again and again a painful learning such as self-esteem or attachment until we can take no more and determine to resolve the issue ourselves without relying on external sources of help to make us feel better. Our personal world can only change if we change from within, and this applies to Europe and other countries in trouble just as much as it does to us personally.
Germany has been the controller of EU policy in recent years, but her insistence on imposed, imprisoning austerity on others while protecting German taxpayers is proving intolerable now, and publicly. Previously, bailouts and bureaucratic interference was seen as sensible and the policy was only challenged sotto voce, but now this old centralised approach is being recognised as being unworkable and potentially destructive, and it is starting to fall apart.
The question is, what will replace it? Where there is a vacuum, something fills it just as a patch of newly dug ground attracts invasive weeds or fragrant flowers. If change comes from within, it is important to recognise our problem and then to let it go, enabling peace and freedom to thrive without it. A problem does not have to become another problem unless we choose to let it – and that is our responsibility, just as it is for every country in the world.]]>
