MY FUTURE IN the EUROPEAN UNION
Author: Vedran Saviæ
School:Gymnazija Poljane in Ljubljana/Slovenia
Teacher: Veronek Nika
In this essay it is clearly seen, how the opinion changes at different age-groups. At first I questioned my grandparents, who are the most experienced, after that my parents and at the end comes my judgment.My grandparents were very excited about the topic so they gave me a lot of interesting information about that time. At first they said, that the time they lived in, was the time of the Cold war and everybody had to be very careful and prepared for the war. But otherwise they say, it was the best time of their lives. People lived very freely and a little bit more relaxed than they do now. They admitted, that a lot of money went to military purpose, but everyone had enough money and nobody complained about it. Men were very proud, when they were going to the army, because that event was a turning point in their lives. They got a feeling that they were doing something important for their country. At that time it was not a problem to get a job and to be well and honestly paid for it. Interesting topic was about the schools. Both, grandmother and my grandfather claimed that school programmes in socialism were more extensive and that pupils in schools obeyed and respected their teachers more than today. In general people were more interested in politics as they are now. A great number of women and men of any age were quite active and they participated and helped in every way they could. As a consequence of a stabile country a degree of crime was very low. People were more honest and impartial and most of all friendlier. Especially my grandmother misses that spirit of joy, happiness and friendship. It is clearly seen that they spend some great and unforgettable time in socialism.My mother and my father are the representatives of the younger generation and it is normal that they see things differently. The period between 1989 and1990 was very strange and also full fear, because the tense within the country was starting to rise. This tense was starting to grow from the time Tito had died and it reached its peak in 1990. The most obvious change was the establishment of new political parties. These parties did not have the same ideas any more. The consequence was also the economic decline. And one thing led to another, which at the end caused the decay of the socialism.This era was difficult for everybody not just for my parents. People feared for their jobs and it really was not the greatest time of their lives. Even the tense in Europe was starting to grow, so everybody had to be prepared in political and in military sense. These events reflected on people's minds and it could be seen by their behaviour and reactions. But my parents say that they put that behind them.My future in the European Union will become very challenging, but that is also the trend in our lives at the moment. That we have to be good or many times the best individuals and the quick tempo of our lives does not bother me so much, because I have become a part of it. This is the main difference between my era and the era of my grandparents. I see the future in the European Union as the future of many possibilities, but the biggest obstacle will be the rivalry. And at the very beginning I have to say that the European Union for Slovenia means a chance to develop and to exchange knowledge with other European countries. But this has its advantages and disadvantages.At first I would like to say something about capitalism, which is characteristic for the countries of the European Union. The capitalism is a little more impersonal than socialism, because people constantly have to be prepared to fight for their position at work, which brings rivalry and tensions between the workers. But on the other hand capitalism brings constant progress, which seems to be one of the most important things in the world of today. Because without a developed technology and industry of any kind countries can not be independent and can be easily manipulated. And the progress is the biggest advantage for the country like Slovenia. With the progress comes also the development and with the development comes the raise of the standard of living in the country and that is very important. But not for everyone is this good news. Our society will become even more stratified and separated in rich and poor. The arrival of big and wealthy corporations means on one hand a positive process, but on the other hand the downfall of home factories and with that is connected also the unemployment. But as we see that is significant for almost whole Europe.Traffic connection between countries will become better and with that even the travelling will increase. My personal opinion is that travelling will bring people closer and will create even greater bonds between the nations. I really like to travel and that is what I am looking forward to do many times.It is obvious that the state property will come into private hands, which will be good for the people, who will own these properties because the price especially of buildings will get really high. People, who will get these properties will become rich over night. But for younger families it will be a little hard to find a decent place to live, but at the beginning everyone has to struggle and for me that is not such a great barrier in comparison to other difficulties.The full swing of democracy means, that people as a majority can really have a big impact on decisions of their government. This has its reflection on political parties, press and even religion. A democracy shows the state of the society's development.A political party depends on its voters. The party which offers more improvement is elected. It is obvious that these parties have to be better than their rivals in order to be successful. This also brings some advancement. But it can alsobe a bad thing for a minority. Minority can be oppressed by the majority. But this must not be allowed, because it can lead into conflicts with terrible consequences. The freedom of the press is the basic right in a democratically settled country. Press must point on all the weaknesses or mistakes and also good sides of the country. If it does not show that, something must be really wrong. It is also important that newspapers are objective and independent, what can be really hard in our days. It is also meaningful that the religions must be equal.I think that Slovenia will not have bigger problems, particularly with democracy and it will be safe for also other citizens to live in. I hope Slovenia will have good international relationships, which will enable people to employ in foreign countries. I would really like to work in foreign countries and get to know other cultures. At the end I would like to say that I truly like the idea of cooperation between European countries. It would be nonsense, if I would say that fellowship in European union has just priorities, but it certainly has more advantages than disadvantages.