Nationalism & The Divide It Creates

The dangers of blinded nationalism.

I know, it feels so patriotic to say I AM AMERICAN. I AM GERMAN. I AM BRITISH. I AM INDIAN. I AM RUSSIAN. But, what if, these statements are to some degree, the root of our civil problem? Hear me out….

I think every person is entitled to create, follow and observe any nationality or culture they wish to follow. Their customs, clothes, food and rituals are great- to each their own. But we should take part in enjoying what our cultures have to offer as opposed to using them as a tool of identity. Think About it. One hundred years ago, there was the Soviet Union and one hundred years later there was Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kahazktan and so on. One hundred years ago, there was an India or a piece of land for the lack of cultural argument. In that land, everyone ate more or less the same types of food, spoke the same type of language and observed the same kinds of outfits. Sure, religions differed, communities differed and so did the holidays and worship methods. An artificial border created by individuals whose best interests are to look out for their legacy and their family. Are we really going to dislike/alienate folks based on a border line?

What if we all identified ourselves as human first? Then talked about the same kinds of goals most of us have. Maybe the pursuit of an education and the pursuit of living a good life. You look at teenagers all over the world – they basically all have similar desires. When you look at the average working adult in China, versus the adult in a south Asian continent versus a man working in a blue collar profession in Europe, they all want the same thing – TO EARN for their family and to enjoy their life. What was once the Ottoman empire is now several different countries.

Some day in the future the borders may change even more… So why hate or disparage based on ethnicity. Share your culture but don’t use it as a measurement of difference.