National Pride for one’s country is a very good thing in principle. I’m sure some of the greatest advancements and movements have been done by people solely for their love of their country, what it means to them, and ultimately what it stands for. I mean you could go all the way back to things like the Battle of New Orleans in the early 1800’s and how the U.S. fought the British to keep a part of their country they had acquired during the Louisiana Purchase. That’s patriotism and nationalism at its finest, actually “fighting” for what you believe in.
With that being said, I have some important news for you folks; it’s not the 1800’s anymore, the year is 2018 and the fighting needs to stop, now. Nationalism and patriotism, in my opinion, are the gateways to terrorism, and catastrophic, horrific events. Yes, I know that sounds extremely dramatic, and somewhat of a leap, however if you retrace some of the world’s most sickening events in the last 20 years or so, you will see that many of the lost individuals who committed these heinous crimes did so out of an act of solidarity and “pride” for their home country.
What exactly is terrorism? I know it’s a word pretty much everyone in our generation is familiar with, however do people actually know what it is? What it means? And more importantly, what “terrorists” stand for?
By definition, terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” To me, this definition kind of beats around the bush, and I’m not sure it is entirely accurate. In my view “terrorism” is a word that holds multiple definitions, some political and some legal. Terrorism is entirely dependent on an agenda, and that agenda usually requires an attack on innocence. The question that begs answering is this: why do terrorists do the things they do, and for me it stems from nationalism.
Nationalism is a dangerous, slippery slope, and it’s a problem we have created ourselves in our human, global community.
People all over the world obsess with where they come from, their countries, their culture, they are infatuated with the idea that they are “the best” and where they came from is the best. There is a huge problem with that. That idea, that notion, that concept of believing you are “above” any person because of your heritage or skin color, or country of origin is downright disgusting. It also leads to violence, it leads to oppression, it leads to things we all thought we were rid of, but really we’ve just found new ways to oppress one another, to gain the “upper hand.” We as humans, as members of the same species, need to stick together, to help one another out in times of need, not alienate one another, picking sides based on appearance or blood line.
Also, terrorists don’t just stem from the Middle East. Terrorists are here in the States as well. A young boy who kills 17 students in his local Florida high school, he is a terrorist. A man who kills those attending a country concert from his hotel balcony in California, he is a terrorist. I’m not saying that all terrorism stems from nationalism or patriotism, but those are the foundations that develop extremists who take their “pride” to the core, and take actions that become fatal, usually to innocent bystanders.
I hate it to break it to you all, but countries are merely just lines on a map, nothing more, and we are all on this planet together.
