What is solidarity?

What is solidarity?  O - in Turkish means he, she, it, so everything beyond oneself. Hen is in Swedish the definition of a person, where you do not name a person’s gender when referring to them. These two words I see as fundamental concepts, of looking at what solidarity is. Language is an ever progressing human concept. These two words humans have created for a safe space, to respect each other and what is beyond one's own individual.

Solidarity is to listen and understand. Yet, that does not mean to agreeing, that is another word, another step, but solidarity is to take to heart what someone is saying. Solidarity is to reach out a hand, solidarity is to stand by someone. Solidarity is finding and creating moral and ethical viewpoints.

Personally, I will not declare myself religious in the way of calling myself a Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Muslim or any of such terms. But I respect people who practice a religion as well as I respect people who do not. What I believe in, I will not put it into a fixed belief system. I believe in O. I have solidarity for religion and spirituality, when it is for own personal use, and I too use religion for spiritual and personal reflection, for a place that is only between myself and my understanding of O. For me religion is a private place to go to, to reflect and reevaluate my mind, not for governmental use and no one should ever be forced religion upon them, but neither should no one ever be forced to not have a religion.

Europe can be the lighthouse in our world for diversity and solidarity, where we accept, acknowkledge and celebrate diffrences , and live side by side in agreed solidarity. Solidarity for me is to accept that everyone is different, that each person is a unique individual and complex being.

Solidarity is to stand side by side, even for problems which does not directly affect oneself, but which affects our brothers and sisters, across borders, nature and generations to come.

But what do we do, when we do not agree with someone? What if we cannot accept their views? Solidarity is also to stand up, and to express yourself, solidarity is also an action of declaring a need, and hereby also a need of change, we might say. Yet change is a part of an open dialogue, also accepting that other people do not live or think the same way as oneself.

Living is a constant dialogue with the world and our world is ever changing. Some people eat meat, some people smoke, other people are religious, some are vegetarians, vegans, others are atheists, some people live with a handicap or chronical illness,  this is where we need solidarity, solidarity is to say : I do not live like you, but I accept you live different than me, so we can stay in dialogue and live side by side.

Solidarity is to move forward together.

Solidarity is to stand up against discrimination.

Solidarity is to break down barries of privledge and hiearchy.

I believe that once when we do not point fingers or try to convince other people of our way, is when we will be able to open our ears to listen, so we can find a common ground, a common ethical ground from which we can build our society based on solidarity.

In an age of Trump, the puzzlement of Brexit, nationalism , racism, must we then accept these views, even, if we strongly disagree with them? No. Because Trump, fascism and nationalism is exactly not solidarity. These views are building walls and closing their hands , turning it into a fist, instead of reaching out. It is not solidarity to build walls, it is solidarity to build doors, understanding and bridges, even in the hardest situations and on the most fragile borders.

O - Solidarity between people, cultures , generations and nations.

But we do need to listen to each other, and we do also need to listen to those who we disagree with. They might be able to teach you something and you might be able to teach them something. We all need to listen, especially to people we do not normally listen to. That is solidarity.

O –  Solidarity of people regardless of gender, class, background.

The more we open our hearts, the more others will open their hearts to us, especially in the most difficult situations , I believe. Be in solidarity with people who are in a difficult situation, people who are fleeing from war, fleeing from their home, fleeing with nowhere to go, be in solidarity with the person who gets the job that you wanted, be in solidarity with the homeless person on the street, with the person you are sitting next to and who you share space with, and people you do not know. Solidarity means to see beyond yourself and your own thinking. Open your eyes to the world around you, to the people around you and to what is happening .

Solidarity is to accept that we cannot control everything.

Solidarity is to follow someone for a bit of their path, until they are home safe.

Solidarity is to do your best for something or someone else other than yourself. To take care of people and what is around you.

Solidarity is also to take care of yourself, and to be in solidarity with yourself.

We should always be open to change our perspectives and have solidarity with new ideas. Solidarity is to listen and learn from people,  knowledge, experience, even to what you don't understand and to the beats of change.

Solidarity is to understand that we are different, but the same.

Solidarity is to learn.

Solidarity is to evolve.

Perhaps in these times my generation can be marked as a generation that pushed acceptance across cultures and norms , as a counterculture to the current political climate. Perhaps in these times EU can be at the forefront in the fight against discrimination, be a place for new ideas to constantly evolve, and be the place for solidarity in a world that needs it. Europe is founded on the stones of democracy, and democracy should be inclusion and the will to progress in order to improve humanity.

Solidarity is to stand up for yourself and others.

Solidarity is to listen to minorities.

Solidarity is respect.

Solidarity is action.

Solidarity is thought.

Solidarity is sharing.

Solidarity is attention. Attention to other people and attention to yourself.

Solidarity is to value other people, people who are not like yourself or think like yourself.

Solidarity is to create a common ground.

Solidarity is to accept differences.

Solidarity is to give room.

Solidarity is not pity, but humanity and responsibility.

It is solidarity to create a place for acceptance, for safety and openness. Solidarity binds people together and produces a base for sympathy and empathy.  The current situation of Trump's gourvermental shutdown, as well as the paralysation and the chaos of Brexit and the British parliment, are to me examples on how lack of solidarity stops the whell of the mill. Solidarity to me is not an Utopia, but a core factor in our human existence and human progress. It is is one of six principles of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and let EU mark itself by being the place for solidarity, respect and openness across physical and cultural borders.

- Maj Rafferty Hansen, 27th of February, Rostock