Al Pacino

IS NATIONALISM A BOON OR A CURSE ?

                 

               Nationalism- when one hears this they at once think about their motherland. Everyone consider their homeland to be superior to others in one way or the other. Here we do not talk about the spirit of one’s nationalism but bearing it in mind that is nationalism A BOON OR A CURSE? It would be wrong to see nationalism as either an unmitigated evil or a universal virtue. It can be both a boon and a curse, depending on the circumstances such as two sides of the same coin. Nationalism tends to be negative when people confront each other along the lines of national divisions whereas it can be productive enough when social divisions and hostilities tend to be based on other identities such as religion, community or ethnicity. Central to understanding the contingent viability of the role of nationalism is the need to see nationality as one identity among many that we all have.

               But we must never forget that even we come from different races, color, caste, religions, creed, our hearts beat as one. So let us keep aside our spirit of nationalism when the circumstances make it a terrible curse, and deliberate it when it would be a great boon. There is no mystery in the variability and contingency of the effects of nationalism. But there certainly is a firm invitation here to think and reason and scrutinize before we decide what to do.

Urs lovingly,
Helsing.