出国留学首选一诺留学

　　Good morning. The opening ceremony of the 2012Olympic Games tried to convey what it was to beBritish-and clearly succeeded with the general publicfor it received a remarkably high approval rating. IfDanny Boyle, its creator, had been with theEuropean leaders meeting in Brussels yesterday andwas asked to devise another ceremony expressing what it was to be European I wonder whathe would have included? For whatever view you take about the European union   as a politicalinstitution we have shared historical memories, many of them painful, a cultural heritage thatcrosses all borders and democratic ideals in common.

　　I think of Greek philosophy which has influenced so much of our thought and the Latin languagewhich underlies our speech. I rejoice in people like Boniface from Exeter, who brought theChristian faith to Germany and Willibrord from Ripon who took it to Fresia and Denmark.Coming the other way, the great Cathedrals built by the Norman French continue to awe andinspire us. There are other less well known streams too feeding into this great European river,such as maths and science from the Islamic world. Whether a reference to God should beincluded in the European Constitution as part of this identity remains a contentious matter.The current resistance to it reminds us that we are also heirs of the secular progressivemovements of the 19th century which have helped to shape so many of our political values.

　　Identity, however, is not just about what comes to us from the past. It is a construct andtherefore part of a continuing conversation. British Identity was forged at a particular time inresponse to particular historical circumstances. Similarly modern European identity tookshape after the two terrible wars of the 20th century. As the Queen put it this week in Berlin “Inour lives we have seen the worst but also the best of our continent. We have witnessed howquickly things can change for the better.”

　　Identities can be used to divide us from other people or to affirm our sense of belonging withthem. Jesus taught that we are to love our neighbours as ourselves-teaching which can befound in all the great religions. In short he urges us to use our imaginations to see others asalongside us, as like us; to construct an identity that includes. Whatever view we take of itsfiscal and political arrangements, we remain Europeans; and what this means is not justsomething given us by our geography and history. It is a work still in progress.