Imagine all the people, living life in peace
In the world nowadays war plays still a huge part in the lives of way too many people, European citizens included. Many people in the first world think that this wars won’t affect their lives. It is impossible to stop all this violence, right? Until 17 July 2014 I thought exactly the same about this, until I heard that my fifteen-year-old cousin Carlijn and her family crashed in East-Ukraine and that there was no chance anyone could have survived it. My view of the world has changed since that moment. I also thought that the only way to fight violence is with violence, but would it make any difference? We can all scream for revenge on the culprits, but that won’t make my family come back. Instead we should focus on how to prevent more innocent victims and make sure this kind of tragedies never happen again.

Imagine there’s no countries, it’s easy if you try
My Europe in 2030 is one big country, where people learn from each other’s cultures instead of destroying them. Feelings of hate are traded for new interests, maybe even new friendships.. The incomprehension is caused by a lack of education. The difference in education levels in different parts of Europe are gone, due to the new way to learn. The future lies in peer-thinking, the ability to discuss issues with other teens. In that manner, people learn to find a solution for a certain problem through communication, which will make violence unnecessary. It will also solve the problem of the lack of proficient teachers.

Imagine all the people, living for today
Other than that, the European Commission should show their faces to the world. Why do we all know our own governments, but almost no one from the European Commission? If the citizens of Europe know who are the ones that run Europe, they will automatically have more trust in the decisions that are made. If we can participate in big decisions, there will be much more support for sometimes difficult conclusions.

Imagine all the people, sharing all the world
Since the first smartphone was introduced, more and more people are living in their own cage. We think that we are living in a social world, keeping up the contact on Facebook with that person you met two years ago at a party. At the same time we could have held a movie night with our friends, learn about the possibilities for this year’s summer or read a beautiful book. In 2014, many people think in the I form. I want this. I am going to do this. My book. Why don’t we start thinking more in the We form? We can drink a coffee together. We are playing music together. But above all, why My Europe? Europe is a continent with so much more humans than just your own individual. Why aren’t we talking about Our Europe? In 2030 I hope this individual mind-set will be slightly different. The mantra for the society should be “together each one achieves more“.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you will join us, and Europe will be as one. My hopes for the world are still held up high. I am more a dreamer than a planner or critic. I know that some people are against the power of the European Union, but I think they do not realise what we can achieve together. We can create a beautiful environment to live in, suitable for every single individual. Some countries may need more help than others, but this will always return positively. I know it is possible, we just have to believe it is and start working towards the ideal Europe. I do it for Carlijn, who will your inspiration be?

Inspired by Imagine, John Lennon 1982