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| OUR MYTH |
"In colour he was white as the snow that rough feet have not trampled and the rain-filled south wind has not melted. The muscles rounded out his neck, the dewlaps hung down in front, the horns were twisted, but one might argue they were made by hand, purer and brighter than pearl. His forehead was not fearful, his eyes were not formidable, and his expression was peaceful. Agenor’s daughter marvelled at how beautiful he was and how unthreatening. But though he seemed so gentle she was afraid at first to touch him. Soon she drew close and held flowers out to his glistening mouth. The lover was joyful and while he waited for his hoped-for pleasure he kissed her hands. He could scarcely separate then from now. At one moment he frolicks and runs riot in the grass, at another he lies down, white as snow on the yellow sands. When her fear has gradually lessened he offers his chest now for virgin hands to pat and now his horns to twine with fresh wreaths of flowers. The royal virgin even dares to sit on the bull’s back, not realising whom she presses on, while the god, first from dry land and then from the shoreline, gradually slips his deceitful hooves into the waves. Then he goes further out and carries his prize over the mid-surface of the sea. She is terrified and looks back at the abandoned shore she has been stolen from and her right hand grips a horn, the other his back, her clothes fluttering, winding, behind her in the breeze." |
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The name of the terrified girl is Europa. According to the myth, she was abducted to the island of Crete, gave birth to among other Minos, who became later king of Crete, and she was never found back. What did appear was the name Europa for the territory where we live and the name European for someone belonging to one of the peoples living in, comes from or is inhabitant of Europa. Europeans applies to the plural to the population, who shares a common history. The story goes that under king Minos the earliest “high” culture in Europe was originated, far before Ancient Greece’s era of civilization. Later in time, in western Europe, the Celts spread the La Tène culture, on aspects competitive to the Roman state, where already was a vision of a future in which “Europe” would acquire some kind of unity. Hereafter, a system of thought based on religion, determined by church, was a characteristic. The earthly existence was minor and life was focused on the afterlife. After a period of time, this way of life was critized and Europe justified that ideas have no objective existence outside man. Dogmas were abandoned and religion was accomodated in a secular order in the sense of separation between church and state, and as a private matter in society. Man became central, the beginning of modernity was marked. |
The way was paved for the dominance of reason and the idea that every person had a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not a future promise paradise, but in the here and now, styled in a self reality. It became one of the pillars of Western civilization, culminating the prosperous life we are now living in. Science and intellectual exchange was encouraged and transformative eras arose, in which great cultural, intellectual, literary, artistic movements flourished. |
| OUR COMMON ARTISTIC STYLES AND THINKING IN PHYLOSOPHY |
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| OUR COMMON LYFESTYLE, IDENTITY and CULTURE |
Gaining an understanding of group dynamics and how to "fit in" is part of socialization. Individuals develop interpersonal relationships and begin to make choices about whom to associate with and under what circumstances and they develop a sense of community. People need:
If community exists, both freedom and security exist as well. The community then takes on a life of its own, as people become free enough to share and secure enough to get along. In 1789, the French Revolution provided inalienable human rights, rule of law, division of powers, sovereignty of the people and representative democracy as values, which are seen as part of our European identity. The sense of connectedness and formation of social networks comprise what has become known as social capital, "the collective value of all social networks and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other (norms of reciprocity)". Western cultures are said to be losing the spirit of community that once were found in institutions including churches, community centers and sports. To counter occurrence of destructive dynamics, the European idea has emerged and is, using the concept of differentiated integration and approach of multi-level governance, a direction sought to achieve common goals. Europa is the largest area of peace and prosperity in history, biggest humanitarian aid provider, and operates with the most comprehensive diplomatic network of the world. Moreover, the polity provides the successful Erasmus+ program, yields the single market, fosters the trade agenda, agreed the Europe 2020 growth strategy, is creating a common energy policy, and is working to reform of the financial sector. A list of reasons to like the EU might read as follows: - it has helped bring a lasting peace to Europe, mainly through the single market, |
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The term "Western" is often used in contrast to Asian, African, or Arab nations. The East-West contrast is sometimes criticized as relativistic. In some ways it has grown out of use, or has been transformed or clarified to fit more precise uses. Though it is directly descendent from academic Orientalism and Occidentalism, the changing usage of the distinction "East-West" has come to be useful as a means to identify important cultural similarities and differences — both within an increasingly larger concept of local region, as well as with regard to increasingly familiar "alien" cultures.
During the Cold War, the West-East contrast became synonymous with the competing governments of the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies, respectively. The concept of Western culture is generally linked to the classical definition of Western world. In this definition, Western culture is the set of literary, scientific, musical, and philosophical principles which set it apart from other civilizations. It applies to countries whose history is strongly marked by Western European immigration or settlement, and is not restricted to Western Europe. Much of this set of traditions is collected in the Western canon.
The origins of Western culture are often referred to as "three pillars": ancient Greece (concretely Greek philosophy), the Roman Empire (specifically Roman law), and Catholic and Protestant Christianity. Broadly, these foundations are referred to as Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian roots. Germanic, Slavic and Celtic popular cultures also took part in the formation of the culture of medieval Europe, and the influence of secular humanism has been profound since the European Renaissance. Western culture has developed a plethora of literary, musical, philosophical, political, religious, and other traditions. Some (though not all) important traditions are: -
Christian Theology and Philosophy, with an abundant tradition on the philosophical discipline of Ethics; |
