European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

IS THE EUROPEAN MODEL BEING REJECTED? REPERCUSSIONS IN THE FIELD ... 125The complement of the otherThe other is not a threat. The person who is different from me —whothinks differently, who has other likes, who speaks another language,who acknowledges other symbols, who adheres to another creed, thebeliever or the agnostic— is not better or worse than me. We are justdifferent and this distinction complements us. We are nor rivals, we arecomplementary. Consequently, I do not need to attack the other nor todefend myself from him.Managing to live and value this alterity is not easy. Most of thetimes, prejudices are stronger than us. However, knowing what theultimate goal of identity construction is, is indispensable.Overcoming fearUntil we can look at the other as potential completeness, it will beperceived as a threat. We will be fearful, both when rejecting andwhen being rejected.The fear on the part of the individual who rejects can becomemanifest in non-appreciation for the other and scorn for his beliefs. Twoforms of the greatest aggressiveness are ignorance and humiliation.Fear in the rejected individual can lead to either him wearing a mask soas to resemble the «other» or to break-outs of various types of violence.Identity is a sphere for acknowledgement and recognition. We allhave the duty and the right to acknowledge and be acknowledged, ofappreciating and being appreciated, of welcoming and being welcomed.There is yet another fear that all of us, and specially European, haveto overcome. At the beginning of this presentation I said that we hadentered the twentieth century with scepticism. Alongside it, we mighthave also inherited some fear of the future. We want to insureeverything, and we defend ourselves. However, we are called to livewith hope in a future for all. A hope which its not mistaken for thenaïve optimism of the early twentieth century but which is based onthe trust that construction efforts will always bear their fruit.Margarita Usano´s reflection will focus on this challenging aspect.Challenges in the field of EducationThe educational task that is currently challenging us is the constructionof an identity with the wealth of a kaleidoscope, the ability to integratedifferent models and the capacity to communicate with others.Throughout this Seminar we are examining the issues of Europeanidentity and education and teaching in and about Europe. I will not