A Heart for Europe
The European project is being threatened by populist nationalism, both from the right and the left. But we must resist the ever-present temptation to find security, protection and identity in the nation. We need a politics of the heart for Europe. First, we must revive Europe's foundational passion of 'never again war', which is far from being exhausted. Civilization means that violence, cruelty, harassment and humiliation are as much as possible banned from society. European civilization can hence be viewed as the never-ending quest for a less dangerous, more gentle, more relaxed and more trustful society. Secondly, we need to recapture the ideals of freedom, democracy, social security and tolerance, which the populists have re-nationalized, in order to reclaim them as European ideals. If Europe succeeds in providing freedom, democracy and security for all, it may indeed become (more of) our homeland.
