I remember reading an article featured by a mainstream business magazine. The article was entitled something like The Next 50 Years of Europe and it was presenting a very bleak end for the continent. It said Europe would have have an aged population highly isolated from industrial production and commerce which would be taken over by overseas markets leaving tourism the only means of livelihood for the once glorious Europeans.

Well, that was about 25 years ago and we are already halfway through. Europe of 25 years ago was miles and miles ahead of the emerging markets of today´s world. People were affluent, problems were fewer and the governments in charge were still "social" ones or even socialist ones in the case of Scandinavia. Thatcher and her followers changed this outlook a little. Germany followed suit though a bit too late and under the pressure of looming economic problems. Once prosperous nations like Spain, Greece and Portugal began facing economic crises and it is believed that this might indeed turn into a large scale downfall.

Europe has long been a stronghold of the rich and mighty. Today, Europeans are talking about inflation, economic breakdown and unemployment. The only thing that hasn´t quite changed is the aloof conservatism that considers anything European a class apart. This conservatism strangely co-exists with a so-called open market economy that closes all the doors to outsiders and opens up everything for the insiders.

Are the problems of Europe associated with this aging mode of thinking? Are we actually witnessing the end of European style conservatism which has become unable to produce? 

There are still 25 more years left on the calender to the end, should the prophecies of that article continue to turn into reality. There is still not a magic plan or a solution. Weak leaders are running Europe and its influence is diminishing day by day.

Hm, I still have food, clothes, a house, and a job to pay for it all Europe isn´t treating me bad at all. And the government paid for almost all of my higher education that got me all these things in the first place. Sure, times are a bit worse than let´s say ten years ago. But nobody in Cloggy land has to die of hunger, or work three jobs to send their kids to school.

I don´t live in Europe anymore, but my friends and family still in Europe don´t seem to be suffering horribly.  When I think about hard times and people suffering my thoughts go more toward places like Africa, Haiti, etc...

Having said that, I do think things are very expensive in Europe (more so than before or in the US) and people do have to go with less, maybe live in a smaller home or perhaps they can´t have as many vacations as they once did but I don´t see the suffering on the same scale as other parts of the world.  I wonder if its such a bad thing that people have to "consume" less, conserve more? 

As for people feeling that Europe is better or that products from Europe are better or that Europe is a class apart....I am entiled to feel that way if I want.  After all, I may be a Bed Amerikan...but I am essentially a European. 

Vineyards, thank you for an interesting text. There must be some truth in it. I used to love Europe. I know its killing itself slowly but steadily.

 Yes, it is interesting. Food for thought.......so to speak. They do have a serious problem with population....they are not reproducing. In a few years there won´t be enough of them to support themselves. That´s a fact.

The US has a similar problem, the more affluent do not seem to want to reproduce. If you don´t have a population, you don´t have support for your civilization.