What is a nation?
It’s a territory occupied by a people with a shared culture, history, language or descent. Or is it?
Well increasingly in this multicultural world it isn’t.
Nations are artificial constructs created by people. They are political constructs artificially drawn on maps. Some are mere political decisions as with most of Africa and the Middle East. Some are the result of conquest by various robber-barons and empires like most of Europe. Some were established by colonialization – like the USA, Canada and Australia.
Nations are not stable. They change. Their boundaries alter. They fall apart and are split up. A study of old maps show this very clearly.
Within any nation – such as the USA or the UK – there are many languages spoken, many religions followed, many cultures incorporated, many races and creeds. There is nothing uniform or homogenous.
The cultural identity of a nation is a product of many different cultures and it is never fixed; it changes constantly.
Nations try to create an identity for themselves and glue people together with flags, national anthems, national costume, constitutions, pledges of allegiance, kings, Presidents, prayers, pageantry, national identity, military displays and other artificial psychological ploys to create a mass psychology that binds people together.
It is totally artificial. It is also extremely transparent.
The whole idea of nations has no real substance.
I would suggest that it is holding us back; that we need to think more globally and not be restricted to this outmoded idea of nationalism. All people are important. The whole planet is important. We need to solve problems universally. Competition between these artificial groupings causes wars, poverty and stops us solving the huge environmental problems, crime, terrorism and religious fanaticism that are assailing us.
Let’s do away with nations!