The sea can instil contradictory feelings. Imagine you, a citizen of the EU, are on the beach. In front of you lies the Mediterranean Sea, with its beautiful blue shades. The waves move silently back and forth. There is a light breeze, gently touching your face. You feel at ease with yourself. All your problems seem light years behind you. With every breath you take, you sense how the sea embraces you. You close your eyes to feel the intensity of the connection. You even wonder how much you enjoy your loneliness. At that very moment, it is only the sea that matters.
Now, when you open your eyes there is a vast openness, all around you. A feeling of lack of control strikes you. Maybe it is even anxiety. All the mysteries of the sea transcend you. You feel powerless. All those creatures inhabiting the sea seem so unfamiliar to you. However, you seem to be afraid of one in particular – the shark.
Undoubtedly, the fear of sharks approaching is what the EU has been experiencing lately. A contagious fear, spreading across the European countries. Immigrants mainly from Syria, Eritrea and Somalia invade the waters, with the only aim of reaching Europe. War, persecution and poverty drive them into the sea. Desperation and hope are their only companions. In the eyes of most EU governments, these boat people are sharks in disguise. Ready to attack. It doesn’t matter that hundreds of them are dying at sea. Even 800 at once. The fear persists, because they seem ruthless and aggressive.
The ocean is boiling with feelings. There is determination to stop the refugees. Shame for ignoring their plight. Pity for just imagining the hardships they must be going through. The deep sense of despair is on both sides. Frustration all the same. This is an existential struggle. Choice and responsibility go head-to-head. The immigrants choose to fight for a better life. But where does the responsibility for others’ actions and lives begin?
We would like to believe that there is a compassionate side to human nature. However, there are also limits to caring. Not in terms of how much compassion one is capable of, but with reference to one’s physical resources. An all-or-nothing mentality can easily lead to failure. If you can’t do all, you do nothing. Take steps and aim for small wins. The Economist recommends a realistic solution to Europe’s boat people. The EU should pay north African countries to build camps on the southern shore of the Mediterranean to host refugees and economic migrants. They would wait there until their asylum application is processed. This has to be a “fair, fast and efficient” process. In addition, there needs to be migrant quotas on member states. A relatively delicate decision, taking into consideration the divergent opinion of the member states on this issue. Anne Applebaum takes a deeper dive into the root cause of the Mediterranean migrant problem. She is probably right when she says that, “Until Europe’s leaders agree that Libya’s failed state is the real source of the migration catastrophe, they can’t even begin to think about fixing it.” From the very onset of the Libyan crisis the EU should have suggested a way of mediation. Being non-committal takes its toll now, both on refugees and the EU.
The Mediterranean Sea is not a battlefield. The sharks that you’ve been seeing are not sharks. Just confused, desperate human beings searching for a safe environment. Help them find it and you will not have contradictory feelings about the sea anymore. Feelings of dread will evaporate and you will notice the beautiful blue shades again.
The Gordian Knot 