As a Dutchman, it’s hard viewing Europe as an entity, if only following the 24 different languages. Europe is a geographical location. Many people view and/or treat the European Union as a Federation, like USA, which it is not. The European Union only exists through its many multilateral treaties. Being on the inside of Europe, makes it hard viewing Europe as an outsider.
A similar observation should apply to America. A recent PEW Research Center study shows that “the image of the United States has suffered across many regions of the globe”. Would Americans living in USA agree to that declining image? Probably, the outcome would be partisan: Democrats may agree, while Republicans would disagree.
The title of my blog is the subtitle of a 2020 Foreign Affairs article: How a great power falls apart, about the decline of the former Soviet Union (1922-1991).
One could wonder if anything is visible from the inside. Did I really experience personal growth since my burnout and depression (my blogs), or is it just my imagination?
Several articles and studies indicate that others view us (very) differently than we view ourselves (eg, Atlantic, JSTOR, Medium, my 2019 blog, Seeker). Recently, someone said that I am oversensitive. I was surprised as I thought that this trait was insignificant nowadays. After careful consideration, I now realise that my character trait is still very much around (eg, my 2014 blog).
The explanation might be simple:
- outsiders must adopt a macro view due to a lack of details;
- insiders are overwhelmed by details and cannot but adopt a micro view.
- Both are closely related to the saying “cannot see the forest for the trees“.
Although decline is invisible from the inside, we may still “feel” this decline. Our perception of (invisible) decline may either relate to intuition a.k.a. unknown knowns (my 2016 blog, my 2018 blog) or may relate to a belief a.k.a. known unknowns (my 2015 blog, my 2018 blog).
“Governments are good at recognizing the faults in other places and times but terrible judges of the injustices built into their own foundations.” A quote from a 2020 Foreign Affairs article: How a great power falls apart, about the decline of the former Soviet Union (1922-1991).
Just My Imagination (1999) by The Cranberries
artists, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise.
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