We are stronger together

Such an easy sentence. Theorically, not many people would disagree, specially seeing how many examples we can find. Last one can be Island’s National Football Team, who showed us that a good team is better than a few great independent players. The European Union could be another example.

Very likely you, dear reader, already know what this text is going to be about. Specially knowing what is happening today in the United Kingdom. But let’s bring another sports example before we continue. Talking about the UK, four years ago London was getting ready to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. By the end of those games, UK was third in the medal table with 29 golden medals, 17 silver ones and 19 bronzes for a total of 65 medals; a great result, for sure, but still far from the 103 and 88 metals of the USA and China. Just as a fact, if we put the medals of the EU members together, we would share 312 medals, including 95 golds. Clear leader of the medals table, because together we are more.

These are just small sport-related examples, but they support what we Aspirers feel: that unity brings strength. Therefore we believe that the European Union is a great project. It’s full of mistakes and challenges, but maybe it’s also the only way to survive in a world where the borders of countries start to blur -even if some people keep trying to raise fences and defend nationalisms-.

The longest peace period in the History of Europe, the Convention on Human Rights, the opportunity to travel in a much easier, safer and more free way or the possibility of finding friends in people that our grandparents would have been forced to kill are achievements that we owe to the European Union.

And at the same time we can’t deny its failures: one of them is to give special treatment to some countries just because of their powerful position. I’m talking, of course, about the UK and the advantages they already have and those that they have been promised if they vote to remain. That reminds me to what Groucho Marx -another one who knew that a team with his brothers was better than individualities- once said: “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member”.

And yet, with our differences, with the mistakes and peculiarities of each country and with the problems that being all together might bring, unity makes us stronger.Let’s go back to sports with a nautical or sailing case: when we are with 27 people on a ship, if one makes a mistake and a hole appears in the hull of the ship, the whole boat can be in danger of sinking; but if that happens, all those partners are there to help us cover that hole and bale the water out. Being scared about a little hole in the hull is not a reason to leave the ship and row alone in a small wooden boat. Let’s stay all together aboard this ship and surf the complicated tides that our time brings; because we will only reach our harbor safe and sound if we all row together.

(Published in the Blog of Aspire. Manufactury of Change)