One thing that has nagged at me for a number of years is the concept of nationalism.  It comes to top of mind each time I see on American TV the constant flouting of American Nationalism.  It has always left me feeling somewhat negative and I have wondered why.

I believe this feeling stems from the concern I have for this “we-they” concept which is inherent in nationalism.  This thought that we are wonderful, we do everything right, we are more important then everyone else.  It can lead to wars and a denigration of others.  There is this constant human need to feel special, to stand out from the crowd.

I am a Canadian and I am proud to be a Canadian, and one of the reasons for this is that we as Canadians do not flaunt our nationalism, in fact we tend to be more accepting of others and give respect to others and their national and racial origins.  Not perfectly of course, but on average, I think we do better than many others.

I would like to see more of what I call international nationalism which is more focused on a common set of shared ethics and values. 

This is something that Christ and Buddha were at the forefront of.  There belief systems have caught on across many societies and cultures.  Of course, the human need to feel special abounds here as well as there are numerous subsets of each of these belief systems.  And frequently each of these subsets have to denigrate each other and in some cases war with each other.

Wouldn’t it be nice if globally we could come together and agree on a common set of values and behaviours and this would our new form of nationalism wherein each of us could become part of and this would transcend national boundaries.