Dear Editor
Where one is born usually decides their nationality, how one feels about the nation can depend on many circumstances, but usually deep down there is a feeling of belonging. Sometimes it can develop into a nationalism of my nation above everything: we witnessed this during the last century with Germany, Italy, Japan and others. It led to World War II, causing tremendous destruction and the death of sixty million people worldwide.
This century, hopes of national and international co-operation in solving world problems have been aided by the ability of people to travel, visit and settle in different parts of the world – and realising that agreement between nations is to the benefit of all.
Now, because of an economic crisis of capitalism there are very loud vocal calls from many countries, including the UK, to go back to nationalism as a way of solving problems, the number of which are growing worldwide: food and water shortages, energy supplies, climate change, destruction of the world’s forests, the changing nature of diseases, air pollution, all these and more need co-operation and understanding to solve them for the benefit of all.
The historic system of nationalism as expressed by ‘me first’, loudly sought after in many places, is so wrong and dangerous to world peace. Pride in one’s country is a totally different story.
A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens
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