No Hard Feelings

Perhaps this is nothing new for you economics types out there, but it offered me a bit of an explanation in my ever-swirling mind. Globalization versus Nationalism.

Globalization is the process in which people, ideas and goods spread throughout the world, spurring more interaction and integration between the world's cultures, governments and economies. 1

Nationalism is a shared group feeling in the significance of a geographical and sometimes demographic region seeking independence for its culture or ethnicity that holds that group together. 2 

And no hard feelings.

      It has been suggested that as the United States recovered from the World Wars, the country's sense of Nationalism was the highest it had been since the American Revolution.It is also expounded that as time moved further away from the atrocities of these wars, and peace and prosperity abounded, the younger generations shifted to more leftist ideals. People began to have more interest in civil rights, reproductive rights, and global harmony. People had a renewed interest in making global interconnections. This can be seen throughout historical times of peace and prosperity not just after the WWI and WWII. I think globalization is even more evident now that the world has become such a small place thanks to the internet. 

Lord knows they haven't done, much good for anyone. Kept me awake and cold.     

     Sadly, in my opinion, there are people who see globalization as a threat to American nationalism and patriotism. They view the two ideals as mutually exclusive. I don't think this has to be so. 
     Can we not as a nation, be proud of who we are and the things we have to offer to the rest of the world without seeing ourselves as better? Is it truly the human condition to have a need to differentiate and isolate out of self preservation? What harm comes from understanding and appreciating another culture? Without trying to change it or ridicule it because it is different from ours can other cultures not enrich our own?  Would we not have a lot less issues politically, diplomatically, and financially if we took in to account the differences of others and worked with them instead of against them? 

Holding the love in my life...and no hard feelings.

     I know that I am an idealist. I know that human nature comes in to play and that there are people who do not have good intentions. But if we, as a nation, stick to the idea that we are better than other nations it gets us nowhere. If we as citizens stick to the idea that some of us are better than others, it gets us nowhere. Our nation declared itself free of tyranny with the following words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

     If all men are created equal, does that not apply to ALL men? (and of course I mean all humans here). It doesn't say, all men of the United States of America or all white men, or all non-white men, or all Christians, it says and is inclusive of ALL.

I have no enemies.

     Nationalism is not a bad thing. Globalization is not a bad thing. They can exist together if we truly want them to and take actions to make them mutually inclusive. We can still be proud of America and also love our fellow humans no matter where they are from. Being a part of the world at large does not eliminate our national and cultural identity as Americans. Perhaps it would give us all something for which to be proud, if we could be the models of global understanding and appreciation. 

Credit for lyrics to the Avett Brothers "No Hard Feelings"