You are not a Romanian. Neither are you Canadian, a European, an American, Indian or Asian, or any other. You are human, just like the rest of us. Your ancestors and predecessors and mine believed that they were Romanian and Canadian and Russian. They believed that they had roots, and those roots are worth being proud of. They’re worth valuing and using for purposes of self-identity. They believed it because their leaders persuaded them that it is indeed the case.
A few questions, then: did those roots emancipate them or did they do the opposite? Did they provide freedom or shackles? Did they open doors or did they encage the individual? Did they open minds or make those minds more susceptible to manipulation and credulity?
Orwell once said that all totalitarianism is theocratic. Isn’t then all nationalism a cult? Culture is one thing, but nationalism is quite another. The latter is the extreme of the former, one that has brought entire nations under the control and manipulation and horrors of tyrants and dictators, bringing shame and suffering upon the people. What tyrant or dictator didn’t fetishize the nation, the motherland, or the fatherland? What fascism didn’t value patriotism?
As you are not your job or how much money you have in your bank account, neither is your identity limited by some imaginary lines drawn in the dirt by politicians for political reasons. You are a citizen of the world, a human being. You live for us all, and we all live for you. We are all brothers an sisters fighting and working and dreaming to emancipate ourselves and each other further, and make the impossible happen. We are all here to heal the world.
So the next time when someone asks you where you originate from, do each other a favor and tell them you come from the Earth, just like the rest of us.
Much love,
Zen Politics
“Roots” – Published August 11, 2013
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