Ode to Joy

It is said that when the fourth movement of the Ninth Symphony was played for the first time almost 180 years ago, on May 7, 1824, it brought tears to the eyes of some music lovers in the house. Ludwig Van Beethoven had written his third symphony for Napoleon, whom he considered, before the Corsican crowned himself Emperor, the liberator of Europe. By some twist of fate, the great musician's "Ode to Joy" was chosen in 1972 as the anthem for a Europe that is finally united.

May 1, 2004 will go down in the annals as one of the greatest political events in European history. Where attempts to unite these lands were made by the swords of Caesar, Charlemagne and Napoleon, and failed, the people of Europe have finally succeeded through dialogue and peace. This is a first in the world, one may add. Even the United States was forged partly through conquest of half of Mexico and partly through the Alaska and Louisiana purchases.

The freedoms of movement as enunciated in the European charters are exactly about people moving forward as one. Borders that protect can also stifle. So where do we go from here?

There is constant talk of the economic effects of entering the Union, yet true integration goes way beyond economics and, as the cliché goes, integration starts from within. We may have moved from a market of 350,000 to 350 million, a gargantuan leap by any stretch of the imagination, and surely this would have its teething problems. However, if we are truly to come of age, we must collectively apply the principles of unity upon which the EU is based.

A narrow island vision has too often done its worst, from village feast and club sport rivalry, to council bickering, to political party confrontation, to backstabbing in business and, I dare say, governmental and non-governmental organisations. The list is endless. We seem to be genetically programmed to live separated lives in the Darwinian conviction of the survival of the fittest by pitting our wits against "the other". Genetically programmed in this way we are not, so we must ascribe this compulsion to our island's social and economic circumstances that have bred a specific type of survival technique.

Our destiny lies in our hands and our vision. No laws, European or otherwise, can ever substitute this. We may endorse new directives, but so long as we choose confrontation instead of dialogue, personal advantage instead of mutual gain, rivalry instead of fair competition and backstabbing instead of cooperation, we will not come of age as a people.

Of course, diehards will remain. We will still have the old warhorses who confuse wisdom with intelligence, intransigence with tenacity and greed with need. Eventually they will fall by the wayside. For real peace and prosperity we must remember that strength comes through unity in every way, shape or form. The mould has been set. The forward path, however, lies with each and every one of us. In Friedrich Schiller's own words that were put to the "Ode to Joy", as translated by George Picard:

"These our nations once divided
Now your magic spells unite,
Where your wing does beat around
Brotherhood and love delight.
With a kiss bestowed on millions
Embraced in fraternity,
Let us build a world of union
And peace for all humanity."