Up to now there are 27 members in the European Union and there are prospects of increasing this number. Considering the noticeably small distances between us, it would be appropriate to think of the EU as a team.The strength of this team is expressed by its overall intelligence and level of cooperation between each member state. Although, we all have our own identity and unique culture, we shouldn’t forget the motto of the EU: “United in diversity”. That is why having mutual morals and future aims seem to be more important than speaking a common language.

Moreover, it is proven that when people from different nationalities and ages team up, they tend to become more successful than working in restricted groups or alone. So, older people have some point in blaming the younger generations for being selfish and careless, but they should bear in mind what the Russian literary critic V. G. Belinsky once said “Upbringing is a great thing; it defines one’s destiny”. After all, I guess it would be our worst nightmare, if in 20-40 years time we will have to look into our children’s eyes and whisper- “Sorry kid, we didn’t make the change… Your future couldn’t stand a chance! ”.

Being in eleventh grade, I am currently doing research on where to pursue further education, just like many other teenagers. I looked at the best 20 universities in the world according to the QS World University Rankings® 2011/2012- among the most trusted university rankings available and I wasn’t very pleased to see that my home, Europe, isn’t predominant on this list. It hasn’t always been like this, right?

I read a bit and found some hints on why, little by little, non-European countries have become the most developed and powerful ones. After World War II, USA and Japan invested the most money in their educational systems. Looking at the Nobel laureates by country, we can see obvious results. For instance, from 1901, when the Nobel initiative began, until 1945, France, Germany and the UK all together had 109 Nobel laureates. For the same period of time, USA and Japan combined had 29. After 1945 up until present times, though, the three leading nations in Europe (those mentioned above) have just 173 Nobel laureates compared to 320 American and Japanese. So, it isn’t a coincidence that more and more young and talented European students go overseas.

You may well say, “Alright, your thoughts are fine, but how will they provide food on my table, put money in my pocket and a bigger smile on my face? How will they stop the religion fights in Europe? How will they make citizens from the richest countries in the EU stop feeling sorry for having neighbors like Spain, Greece or Ireland, who are facing great economic problems at the moment? “. Unfortunately, you would be right. Nobody can fix the EU using only words, action is needed.

In conclusion, philosophically speaking, what is the best thing that a person can do in his or her life? In my opinion, it is to help as many people as possible. Who has done so? It turns out that the people who have contributed the most to a better life across the world, are most often scientists. That is why, in my opinion, our efforts should be directed principally to a better education, which will consequently lead to higher-minded morals. Having said this, I see my future Europe capable of knowing what is right. I see my children bringing up their children in the safest world anybody has ever seen. This will be a Europe where science is able to predict dangers and react instantly before they have caused trouble.