Rip Van Winkle

This allegory is not widely known in Europe but in Amerika everybody knows Rip Van Winkle. The protagonist doesn't have a Dutch name by accident. The story stems from the early settlers' time in North Amerika when Dutch colonists had founded New Amsterdam.

Rip Van Winkle stands for laziness and complacency. He doesn't care about his own business. He falls asleep for twenty years, wakes up and notices the world has changed, including his best friends and family. The story was supposed to teach young pioneers the benefits of work and zeal.

Could this story become fertile on European soil as well? I think so. Europe is getting an old mentality. There are good initiatives, but there is not enough spirit in the general way of thinking and decision-taking. Indecisiveness and lethargy are the result. Not the destiny of Europe but the destiny of the next holiday is the main concern. Soon we should wake up and notice the world has changed.