To wax geekish for a moment, it reminds me of Lost, Season 1. When Charlie wants Locke to give him back his drugs, Locke shows him a cocoon and talks about how the moth is struggling to get out. "I could help it get out by cutting the cocoon with my knife, but then the moth would be too weak to survive."

European society, through its strong social net, has removed the fear of failure, which indirectly removes the drive to succeed. The result is that Europe is becoming culturally, economically and demographically enervated. It's a slow process, to be sure, but it's there.