Balancing act

  • 2002-06-06
  • Leon Miller
There is a sense of pride in the fact that within a short period of time Estonia has made significant social and economic advances with its freedom. There is also celebration in the sense of enjoying a type of new prosperity. But I see something else that relates more closely to a question of balance.

The commercial influence, of course, is Western. The greatest assurance of enjoying continued prosperity would result from European integration. Many people are in favor of this, because Europe represents a swing away from Eastern domination.

However, almost everyone I talk with wonders if integration is the best way for Estonia to assert the gifts of balance it enjoys from its geographical location and the authentic nature of its people and culture.

There is an important dialogue underway in Europe, which Estonia is about to participate in. This is about how to maintain cultural integrity while at the same time achieving integration.

This is Estonia's concern as well. It is the concern of almost every European state.

Estonia has to address the issue as it considers its future. There is then enormous potential for what Estonia can contribute to this dialogue for its own benefit, for the benefit of many other Eastern European countries and for the benefit of European integration.

Greek legend

History affords us some examples where this same issue had to be addressed by small nations trying to hold their own in the midst of the superpowers around them. One of the greatest examples was a model of both maintaining balance and cultural integrity while achieving some form of integration.

This example is Greece. Greece because like Estonia its position as a seaport was an important part of its history, wealth and development. Greece because of its position on trade routes and crossroads. Greece because like Estonia it was also dominated by an empire to the east; the country was dominated by the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years.

The Greeks because like Estonia as they began to gain freedom from this imposing empire they had to contend with an even more powerful union growing to the west of them.

The Greeks because of their struggle to gain and maintain their freedom in spite of superpowers on both sides of them. And the Greeks because of what we learn from them about the power of maintaining balance.

There are several significant parallels between Greece and Estonia. After the Greeks were finally successful in their struggle to liberate themselves from the empire to the east, they realized they needed their best qualities to face an even more powerful union forming to their west.

Greek culture was eclectic, partly because of the extent of the Greek intellect. The culture was also eclectic because like Estonia the invasions resulted in a mix of influences that had to be reconciled.

Although this eclectic quality did become a strength, it was difficult, if not impossible, to unify Greece because of it. This quality potential and difficulty is also true of Estonia.

Greek culture demonstrates an effort to find balance. There are several ways in which this struggle for balance is shown. One is between their ancient past and their promising new future.

The past for the Greeks was their nature orientation. The future was as a trade center (cosmopolitan, intellectual and artistic).

The Greeks are a model of balance between the mental and the physical. Even though they are famous for giving us some of the greatest thinkers of antiquity, they are also famous for giving us the Olympics.

We see evidence of their struggle to find balance between passion and reason.

There is also some evidence that the Greeks were aware of a need for balance between men and women.

They also represent a balance between Eastern and Western cultures.

We understand this intention to keep the balance to be part of the key to Greek greatness.

Estonian parallel

Is there any significance in all of this for Estonia? It is already clear that if the parallels hold true there is tremendous value for Estonia.

Estonia is blessed by providence to be able, at this stage in history, to enjoy the best of what the crossroads as a geographical location offers. Now, however, the crossroads do not just represent a geographical location for Estonia.

It is an opportunity to freely express the balance that Estonia has been blessed with by geographical location, by its destiny and by its very nature.

Estonia like Greece will not place its confidence in military power. Yet, like Greece, Estonia can have confidence in what its cultural, intellectual, artistic, and commercial powers can produce to extend peace and freedom.

I believe I can claim with certainty that much of what human history has been about is an effort to find a way to live in balance. This is true for the individual as much as it is true for a culture.

My vision for the future is that Estonia will be a model of balance. It is also my hope that other states looking at Estonia will observe that this balance was obtained by being rooted in its cultural heritage.

It is obvious that the Baltic states are committed to moving toward integration. I think they do this with the conviction that cultural integrity will be enhanced with integration.

If we accept this proposition then our distinctiveness will not be reduced by integration.

However, as I stated already the best way for Estonia to do this is by maintaining its natural gift of balance. When you look at the culture it is clear that East and West are both essential parts of what Estonia is.

For the sake of its own identity and its future, and for the sake of the good of the world, I hope Estonia will demonstrate a model of those essential parts becoming fully integrated into a unified whole.

If this happens the world will have to celebrate the emergence of a new cosmopolitan center for art, intellect, culture, diplomacy and philosophy (similar to the example of old Greece).

I often say, when speaking about this topic, that a leader of Estonia should be in a position to say, "I will work to improve the lifestyle of all our people."

Who are the people? To become whole with ourselves as individuals and to become whole with ourselves as a nation, we must move into the future fully committed to integration. By integration here I mean that the culture must have the understanding that the part of Estonia that is Eastern and the part of Estonia that is Western will be fully balanced and integrated. This balance is the vision that guides Estonia into the future.