With over an estimated one million migrants making the journey to Europe, from countries like Syria and Iraq, it is natural to wonder what Europe will be like in the future. No one should have to stay in their homeland if they risk unjust persecution and death. But how will the sudden mass influx of migrants effect Europe? What will the demographics of countries like Germany and Sweden look like in five years? What impact will the influx have on legislation and treaties, like the Schengen Agreement? Will the open arms and welcome banners one day be replaced with resentment and protests? Are we already seeing such resentment and protests? The questions are endless and I believe that only time will be able to reveal the true answers. We can make guesses and assumptions but in such an unprecedented in our lifetime mass movement of people it is hard to know the true answers.
I lived in England in 2007 – 2008. Back then I thought it was a pressure-cooker ready to explode, a mass of cultures that at times were intolerant of each other. My sentiments then I think are even truer today. A mix of cultures that have come into the country not wanting to lose their identity or fully adapt into the English culture. Causing some parts of England to feel like foreign soil. Like Southall in London which is like stepping into India or Pakistan. I am not saying when you move to another country you should forget the country and culture you were born into. But the reality is you need to adapt to the customs and culture of your new country. You can’t enforce the culture and beliefs of where you have come from onto where you have moved to.
With fears of terrorism gripping the UK and Europe will the countries who have been welcoming of migrants change in the face of fear? As I pen this I sit in the Coach Station in Berlin. I admit there are some people here (from the Middle East) who make me feel slightly on edge. If I lived here would I still feel that way or am I just overly sensitive because I am visiting? My hope is that European countries don’t lose what makes them unique and sets them apart from the other European countries in the face of influxes of migrants coming to take up residence in their country. I also hope that the UK doesn’t lose any more of its identity amid the pressure-cooker it finds itself in.
I just can’t help but wonder what the face of Europe will be like if/when there is another terrorist attack in the UK or Europe, especially if it is from someone who came here as a suspected migrant. However it looks, I pray people learn to be more loving kind and tolerant of difference and those migrating fully embrace the new culture they find themselves in while balancing not letting go of where they have come from.
Europe - a place to watch...
I lived in England in 2007 – 2008. Back then I thought it was a pressure-cooker ready to explode, a mass of cultures that at times were intolerant of each other. My sentiments then I think are even truer today. A mix of cultures that have come into the country not wanting to lose their identity or fully adapt into the English culture. Causing some parts of England to feel like foreign soil. Like Southall in London which is like stepping into India or Pakistan. I am not saying when you move to another country you should forget the country and culture you were born into. But the reality is you need to adapt to the customs and culture of your new country. You can’t enforce the culture and beliefs of where you have come from onto where you have moved to.
With fears of terrorism gripping the UK and Europe will the countries who have been welcoming of migrants change in the face of fear? As I pen this I sit in the Coach Station in Berlin. I admit there are some people here (from the Middle East) who make me feel slightly on edge. If I lived here would I still feel that way or am I just overly sensitive because I am visiting? My hope is that European countries don’t lose what makes them unique and sets them apart from the other European countries in the face of influxes of migrants coming to take up residence in their country. I also hope that the UK doesn’t lose any more of its identity amid the pressure-cooker it finds itself in.
I just can’t help but wonder what the face of Europe will be like if/when there is another terrorist attack in the UK or Europe, especially if it is from someone who came here as a suspected migrant. However it looks, I pray people learn to be more loving kind and tolerant of difference and those migrating fully embrace the new culture they find themselves in while balancing not letting go of where they have come from.
Europe - a place to watch...