The World Citizen
Why we shouldn’t let nationalism get in our way
The Happy Delusion
There’s a belief among many US citizens that, despite our shortcomings we actually are the best place to grow up, to settle down in, and to live a full life. It’s a happy delusion: you couldn’t be luckier to immigrate to our wonderful country and out of whatever second-rate, third-world country you had the misfortune of previously residing in. The United States is at the top of the world, and then there’s everybody else.
Pointing this out to Americans can hit a nerve — we don’t like to be reminded that other countries could possibly be better than us. We live in our red, white and blue striped bubble, and we like it that way. Then along came “The Internet.”
The internet can be argued as both a force for good, and evil. But there’s one indisputable fact that nobody can deny: It’s brought the world closer together.
Do you have a relative living overseas? They’re just a free Skype call away. Oh, and you can see them too. See the concern on their faces as you tell them about an ailing aunt or uncle, or see the joy in their faces as they tell you about their newborn child. The opportunity to maintain contact with other humans on a global scale is nothing short of game-changing for the exchanging of not just ideas, but ideology.
And that right there, that’s what it’s all about. That someone living in Alabama, one of the most “southern” of southern states, can be influenced by an argument from someone living halfway around the world in eastern Pakistan. At the very least they’re being exposed to each other’s philosophies, their way of thinking, and as a result their very culture. This is communication on a level that has never been done before in the history of humankind, and it’s all happened within the last 20 years.
So what happens when a world full of distinct ideologies are suddenly equipped with a means to distribute them, and to influence others?
The Evolution of the Digital Culture
Although I’ve been witness to some of the worst offences of the internet perpetrated by misguided misanthropes behind keyboards, I’ve also been witness to the heart-warming kindness of strangers born from a single opportunity to do something good in the world. Their diversity was astounding. From all over the world, from different backgrounds, they came together and united for a temporary cause, a brief benefit to the human race. A single difference. A flash of what the future brings.
The first global culture, grown and harvested entirely online, in the digital space. It’s happening now, except few people realize it. We’re ever-so-slowly coming together, seeing past our differences and understanding that indeed we are all just humans living in different environments on a planet orbiting the sun. Borders? Screw borders. They’re man-made lines on a map. Let’s talk about the things that really matter, such as ethics, morality, and equality. Nationalism only isolates us. Let’s come together and unite under our commonalities, and form a beautifully interconnected digital culture. The best part? We’ve already got a head start.
We’re citizens of the world, whether we know it or not.
