Name: Debi Daniel Course: Academic & Business English

I thought of writing this conventionally, of doing some copying and pasting into this office word document, but I decided against it at the last moment. I wanted to go online to look at some facts and figures, but I was reminded of something that I watched just yesterday, about how life and its demands for facts kill the science within us, killing our curiosity right from childhood, cause we all have to memorize this and that fact. So I want to use this to challenge my own intellect, to write what is unusual, to view the whole question of what I do think about the European Union in general, its advantages and disadvantages from an absurd point. Theres this saying that everything is nothing, and nothing is everything, in my opinion, thats what the European Union is. In the sense that it is very important, but at the same time, it seems to be an impending failure, hence, it is nothing. The Union is in itself useful as it promotes peace and stability; it facilitates the free movements of goods and services, it boosts the economies and allows smaller nations to influence more than a few decisions in Europe (thats just one side of the coin). So, bravo for the European Union, it does everyone a lot of good. On the other hand, the European Union is globalization; it strips inch by inch, every country of their sense of nationalism. The currency, the economic attachment to other economies is increasing daily; policies are being made not by country anymore, but by the European Union. Many wouldnt see this as bad, I too dont see this as being a bad thing, I see it as a movement, forward. But I also see that it is hurtful, and that it will damage a lot of things, and if in the future it fails, it will fall like an old building that has been holding up for too long, with a thud and the dust that would swell around could last forever. But theres a light in everything, there always is. For the European Union, that light is the fact that the European Union has brought Europe up in its competitiveness against the huge countries, I mean the countries that are vast in size and have a proportionate economy. The European Union makes it possible for countries like Netherlands, Estonia, Belgium, and many others not to be edged out economically by the United States, Japan, China, etc. As it is, the European Union is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. Breaking the Union would be the biggest lost, at the same time, letting it to rot economically/financially would be very bad, but not as bad as a break up. The saying that its easy to build than to destroy for once does not apply to something, and this is what it doesnt apply to. The European Union is a huge deal, and would continue to be so as long as it has already started and countries enjoy the rights and benefits that go with it, its time to endure the hardship as well.