[andyjdavis]

>I don't think Europeans realise how lucky they're to be so connected to there past.

It is a double edged sword. Its great they have that connection but that can lead people to glamorize the past and to focus on trying to hold onto the past while neglecting the future.

When I spend time in the UK I am always surprised how frequently history comes up in conversation, how positively it is spoken about and how gloomy everyone's descriptions of the present and future are. Apparently the past was great and the future is bleak (even years pre-Brexit). There is one notable exception, the Margaret Thatcher years get brought up at least once a week by family/friends/strangers on the bus and described very negatively

In Australia where I am from the past bright/future gloomy logic is reversed. The past rarely comes up and discussions about the present and future tends towards optimism.