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Nationalism
First off, I am not a nationalist. I'm very much an internationalist, simply because the concept of nation seems empty to me. I'm sure not all nationalists are flag-waving shaven-headed thugs and I would like to understand the thinking behind nationalism.
It seems to me that it falls into two strains - personal and abstract.
The first is the seemingly irrational belief some people hold that they come from the best nation on Earth. They can't all be right. What is the objective, quantifiable property by which the relative value of two nations can be measured?
The second is of slightly more interest and seems to be characterised by the belief that each nation should concern itself exclusively with its own affairs and place itself ahead of every other nation.
I'm interested to hear the arguments for and against these ideologies (even if they aren't your own beliefs) and any thoughts you have on the subject.
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"No one was behaving from very Buddhist motives. Then, thought Pigsy, he was hardly a Buddha, nor was he a monkey. Presently, he was a pig spirit changed into a little girl pretending to be a little boy to be offered to a water monster. It was all very simple to a pig spirit."
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