I get your point. But any collective myth will overlook a lot reality. Americans actually help each other and organize themselves in their communities, despite the hassle culture. Chinese had many failed attempts at dominating industries. Many Russians actually prefer a calm and good life to the glory of their country.
In a way, a myth is more about what we want to be than what we are. Or, the part of ourselves we are proud of.
The choice is ours. We simply need to choose whom we admire. Whom we want to recognize as successful. Whom we aspire to be when we grow up. We need to sing the praises of our true heroes: those who contribute to our commons.
It could, obviously, just be international. There are people giving away inventions to mankind all around the world, though not equally distributed. But there is a window of opportunity for big part of Europe to embrace these values as our, though not exclusively our. The local aspect is beneficial, since it gives the universal values a sense of belonging and strong institutions.
Okay, that’s even worse than I thought.