The Nation-State

The purpose of the nation-state should be an organizational tool to prevent chaos, not a competitive entity. Yet patriotism, which fuels this competitiveness, is viewed as a positive quality. The national anthem and the flag are seen as sacred. But what do they really represent? Most would answer that they symbolize a series of ideas and a unique history. But are these things that should be honored blindly? The history of any nation is cloaked in blood, a direct result of its ideology.

Paradoxically, the nation-state has been responsible for countless killings and yet, without it, the world would descend into violent anarchy. Nation-states should be a way in which people all over the world are able to help one another. If one essential mineral is produced in one part of the world, and another in another part, we must find away to enrich both nations fairly. Instead, we have certain nations which wish to control the activities of others. This inequality fosters violence as economic and militaristic considerations are viewed as a competitive struggle for domination or, in some cases, survival.

The nation-state is a sound form of organization, but the way in which nation-states relate must be reconsidered for the sake of humanity.