For days I have been mulling over the EU's recent decision to trigger Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, the country I now call my home. I have been entertaining notions of writing some blog responses about the matter, but I have decided against this for now. Perhaps I will address it all in the coming days and weeks.
The EU's decision did not surprise me. It is all part of an extremely old war that Hungary has been embroiled in for the better part of a century. Article 7 is merely the most recent battle. Rather than wade into all right now, I will leave you instead with small, but uplifting excerpt from my novel The City of Earthly Desire that confirms my heartfelt conviction that Hungary shall prevail against the EU regardless of what the eurocrats do.
Enjoy.
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Taken from the final chapter of The City of Earthly Desire -
“Boy, this white stag is like a movie star around here!” Béla said sarcastically. “Well it doesn’t matter. A herd of white stags couldn’t help this country. Hungary is a trap. It’s cursed. What a place! Always overrun and conquered by some outside force or other, and when it wasn’t, the people turned against each other. There’s no hope for anyone here. There never was – there never will be. It probably would have been better for the world if Hungary had been completely wiped from the map at some point.”
“But it wasn’t,” Brigitta said coldly. “And it never will be. It’s true - we have a tragic history, a history of defeat. Unlike you, I believe this gives us strength. The Tatars killed nearly everyone, but Béla IV rebuilt the ravaged country. Hungary remains, but where are the Tatars now? The same could be said of the Ottomans, the Nazis, the Soviets – they all conquered us, defeated us, but in the end, we have survived them all. Where are the Ottoman, Nazi, and Soviet empires now? They are all gone, but Hungary remains. Hungary survives because it understands the nature of defeat; it understands that, when all is said and done, we are all defeated. But Hungary never lost itself in defeat. The Hungarian spirit survived regardless of who lorded over the land. That is the only victory that counts. That’s how I approach life. When I was younger, the communists defeated me, but they never managed to completely conquer me. I maintained my integrity and survived them. I will do the same against the forces that have invaded Hungary now. They may defeat me, but they will never conquer me. One day they will dissolve, and I will remain, my head held high.”
The EU's decision did not surprise me. It is all part of an extremely old war that Hungary has been embroiled in for the better part of a century. Article 7 is merely the most recent battle. Rather than wade into all right now, I will leave you instead with small, but uplifting excerpt from my novel The City of Earthly Desire that confirms my heartfelt conviction that Hungary shall prevail against the EU regardless of what the eurocrats do.
Enjoy.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Taken from the final chapter of The City of Earthly Desire -
“Boy, this white stag is like a movie star around here!” Béla said sarcastically. “Well it doesn’t matter. A herd of white stags couldn’t help this country. Hungary is a trap. It’s cursed. What a place! Always overrun and conquered by some outside force or other, and when it wasn’t, the people turned against each other. There’s no hope for anyone here. There never was – there never will be. It probably would have been better for the world if Hungary had been completely wiped from the map at some point.”
“But it wasn’t,” Brigitta said coldly. “And it never will be. It’s true - we have a tragic history, a history of defeat. Unlike you, I believe this gives us strength. The Tatars killed nearly everyone, but Béla IV rebuilt the ravaged country. Hungary remains, but where are the Tatars now? The same could be said of the Ottomans, the Nazis, the Soviets – they all conquered us, defeated us, but in the end, we have survived them all. Where are the Ottoman, Nazi, and Soviet empires now? They are all gone, but Hungary remains. Hungary survives because it understands the nature of defeat; it understands that, when all is said and done, we are all defeated. But Hungary never lost itself in defeat. The Hungarian spirit survived regardless of who lorded over the land. That is the only victory that counts. That’s how I approach life. When I was younger, the communists defeated me, but they never managed to completely conquer me. I maintained my integrity and survived them. I will do the same against the forces that have invaded Hungary now. They may defeat me, but they will never conquer me. One day they will dissolve, and I will remain, my head held high.”
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