Nationalism: Ye or Nay?

It has been a significant time since I wrote anything remotely related to politics. There is a reason why I refrained from writing about politics. It is a very sensitive topic, and it just seems so hazy, however something triggered me to try look back at it. Not only today is Pancasila day, thus making it the perfect time to write something about politics, several days ago, I discussed about nationalism to my friend, well more of I was triggered. After reflecting on my idiocy, I feel it’s better if I write out my thoughts here, so here we go. Nationalism is heavily encouraged in my school, and it seems it seeped into me quite well, and you can’t blame the school considering my nation is in quite a mess. Responding to a threat of Islamic radicalism that can easily split the nation and destroy millions of lives in the process, I see nationalism is not a bad thing. However, is it actually good in the long run? Let’s begin.

The best way to start is to ask ourselves, what is nationalism? Is it different from patriotism? Well the definition can be argued, albeit there is one similarity, that it is a strong support and love for one’s country. As far as I am concerned, this is also the definition used by my teachers when talking about nationalism. Some say nationalism is actually harmful and promotes divide among humanity by creating unnecessary barriers called nations. Is there a degree of truth within that statement? Actually, there is, but it is important to understand that there are varying degrees of nationalism. Extreme forms of it is certainly harmful, especially when you start to think that your nation is superior to all others, and perhaps your country shall take over the world. This is the ideology behind Nazi Germany, and to an extent, hardcore communist countries, but many communists refute this, how do we handle this?

You see, when people think of nationalism, they think that it has to be ethnic based, and that a nation must be culturally based. While the definition of a nation or country can be debated, that is arbitrary and mostly irrelevant. As what we are discussing here is support of one’s country, and a country is also a nation. Radical nationalism is indeed harmful, as it makes one believe that they are superior to all others and perhaps their nation should dominate the world. Or, it can make that nation isolate itself and usually, an authoritarian government develops within that nation. This kind of nationalism is seen in the USSR and also North Korea. In Nazi Germany, it is also a radical nationalism, but it is also racially influenced. Which is why the holocaust happened. You see, radical nationalism does not have to be racial in nature, it can be ideological, such as the USSR. And in any case, radical nationalism does promote divide and hatred among mankind, what about moderate nationalism?

When I say radical nationalism, I mean support in one’s country, but without claiming that the nation is superior to others, or we should dominate the world. No, far from it, instead we also think globalistically, respecting our own country and also the rest of the world. And in my opinion, it is quite logical to support and respect your country. And you do not have to respect your government to respect your country. Even if your government is an imperialist authoritarian racist bigoted warmonger, you can always find solace, within your fellow people. It may seem weird that I have not mentioned respecting the idea of the nation, why is that? Tell me, what makes a nation, alive? What is one thing that is absolutely necessary for it to exist? Of course, its People, symbols and doctrines are meaningless if noone is believing in them. The government also comes from the People, as a result, when I say support your country, I mean support your People. Now if some people are still confused about this, I will elaborate further.

To be nationalist is not to be radical, or to be fanatical of a nation’s idea and symbols, perhaps in Indonesia that would be like the Pancasila, or the flag, or the idea of Indonesia itself. In this case, to be a nationalist Indonesian, you have to support the People of Indonesia. And thus allying yourself, supporting, and respecting your fellow People. This is very logical to do, how so? It is true that you never chose to be born in any particular country, but you are inevitably born in a country. Since we humans are not independent of each other, and we need others to reliably survive, that means we are morally obligated to help our People as they have, directly or indirectly so we can survive. We can say that we owe our People, and thus we must help them as well. However, this argument of an eye for an eye is not the only argument. A person, a human being has one specific moral obligation in this world, that is to live and become quality human being, and contribute their talents and their efforts to the society. Of course, it is best to start with people near you, and that means your nation.

Another point I have is that as you live, you can choose to leave the country or stay. And whatever you do, you will still be a member of a country. You will live out your life in a country want it or not. And perhaps you have an ambition, to be useful for society, well if you are starting out, your circle influence is not that large. However, it is certain that your country is in your circle of influence, so it is best for you to help out your country, that is your people. As if you can’t even help the people closest to you, that shares the same blood as yours, how can you help anyone else? As such, your best option for now is to support your people with what you have, and if you work hard enough, you may be able to influence your government, and then, once you have enough opportunities, and you’ve contributed enough to the country, you can contribute to the world. I have another argument, though it is specific to Indonesia, let’s hear it out.

Indonesia is a country that was formed with blood and sweat. No, that’s not an expression, it is earned with bloodshed, from the colonial crutches of the Dutch, other western powers, and also the Japanese. It means our country’s freedom is gained with heavy struggle, one that involves death, tragedy, and sacrifice. It is a hardworked freedom, not something bought or just given to us. As such, what we have now in Indonesia is our own effort, or at least of our fighters and heroes. As such, it is logical to respect our forefathers that have fought for our freedom, and thus all of our comfort and convenience. We are morally obligated to respect the struggles and bloodshed that was done, so we don’t have to feel the same. How can we do so? By making good use of our independence and freedom, not just waste it away, work hard, study hard, be a good human being and help improve our country.

Is that the end though? No, it is far from the end. The goal of nationalism is not to simply help your country and prosper the People, but it is merely a transition towards the next stage, globalism. The goal of humanity is to in the end, unite the world and create a prosperous mankind, where there is no suffering and scarcity. Nationalism is necessary in this, as if a nation can’t even be united, how can the entire world be? Furthermore, how can we help people of other countries if our own country is in crisis? Nonetheless, the main point is still the same, nationalism is not the final stage, it’s a transitory stage towards globalism, respect and support of entirety of humanity. That is all I have to say, have a nice day.