Well, personally I think nationalism is a waste. Enough people have been killed and it makes huge divisions in the human race. Truthfully, its just a reason to kill people. If we want to achieve anything we should band together as the human race and root out divides like nationalism, religious extremism.. etc
I belive nationalism merely divides human beings and gives people pride where it is undeserving. No one chooses what country to be born in so why take pride in it. I didn't accomplish anything so why feel like I did. It seems a illogical as the idea of being proud that I'm white or that I ancestors who are Cherokee or French or Dutch. It's something beyond my control. I also think that nationalism seeks to feed the idea that people of a certain are number one and deserve to be treated as such. No one should question their "authority" to do something. It also fills citizens of that certain country with ideas that their country can do no wrong and anything their country does, no matter the morality/ethics of the situation can certainly be justified. I see nationalism as something that poisons one's mind into believing a fellow human being is unworthy of the same respect and compassion as another merely based off the fact that they live on the other side of a border. I beilieve it was Zhuge Liang, a famous and brilliant strategist for the state of Shu during the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era, who said that it was not the land, but the people who were divided. I agree with this. I think human beings would have more compassion and ability to coexist if they looked at one another as human beings and didn't base their opinion of them on the other person's race, gender, religion, nationality, etc. So my opinion is I think nationalism ruins the hope of coexistence and causes unnecessary hatred and violence. It just convinces people that politicians are near infallible and people should obey without question. It also tells young people that killing and dying is honorable and glorious when truly it is a waste of time. Let alone human lives.
I believe in the Middle Kingdom in all its forms throughout time not for its states or its government, but rather for its people.
