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If we all began to think of ourselves as world citizens, I imagine we'll have plenty of social strife, crime, and class struggles but international war would become a thing of the past! Okay, maybe I'm a bit of a cynic in regards to this issue.
The problem with convincing people to give up nationalism, and declare themselves world citizens, is getting them to give up something they believe in fiercely. It's like asking people to give up religion. Furthermore, that belief has to be replaced with something more powerful that will allow them to settle differences peacefully without wanting to break off from the rest of the world and start their own nation.
Nationalism is definitely still needed, but it's taking different forms these days. It seems to me that nations are starting to become defined by their ideologies as opposed to their ethnic groups. This is a step in the right direction, but more work is definitely needed in this area. I think the real work to be done is through the UN, where people can at least have the illusion of living in a nation where they feel they belong and that what they believe in will be protected by the nation-state. If they find a way to cooperate with one another through a larger organization, then that will be just as good as being world citizens.
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I'm swimming in the digital residue of a media-drenched world. It's too cold.
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