Well, you have certainly chosen a touchy subject. Let us hope that this thread does not turn ugly. 
While a world without borders is certainly a beautiful thought, it--like oh so many other utopian dreams--is like a delicious cake with a tactical nuke inside. Take a bite and everything will blow up in your face.
Why can't we just open the borders and institute a world government then? I foresee the following problems:
1) Humans are territorial by nature. We stake out our claim and everything inside is ours. We want to own things, we want a spot to call home, we want to belong to a group of people who are similar to ourselves.
2) Considering the vast cultural differences between the countries of the world people would feel that their ethics and lifestyle were being trampled by the edicts and laws of the federal government.
3) The bureaucracy needed to govern the whole world would have to be of titanic proportions. Recalling the problems that the EU is having and the Soviet Union had we can extrapolate the terrible ineffectiveness of a world government.
4) (This is controversial.) Some cultures are simply better than others. The Western sphere has more beneficial ethics to the advancement of society and respect for law than the Eastern and third world cultures.
On to nationalism. Nationalism is a powerful romantic archetype that strikes a chord in most people's souls. It feels good to belong to a culture you can feel proud of. A culture that has rich traditions and peculiar traits that clearly set it apart from others. Symbols and rituals can be devised to reinforce this division between nations. Like most ideals, nationalism can turn ugly if it crosses the line to supremism.
However, even supremist nationalism can be beneficient. Most people would probably agree that the Roman Empire did more good than harm to its conquered provinces, since it forced its superior culture on barbarian neighbors (excepting Egypt and Greece).
Is nationalism a purely modern (18th century) invention? Of course not! It was merely fanned by the new powerful national bureaucracies that grew at a pace with the industrial revolution. The ancient Chinese were nationalists, just as the Egyptians, the Romans and the Sumerians for all we know.
The chaos following the fall of Rome and the checkerwork of wandering tribes smothered nationalism until it could eventually re-emerge stronger than ever.
I am a nationalist and I am not ashamed to say it. However, the traits that I find most admirable about my country and my culture are weakening. In many ways, this is a deliberate process that is going on not just in Sweden, but all across Europe and in the USA. It may either lead to the decline of Western civilization (as I fear) or to something new and better.
Ok, hit me!
/Doomie
While a world without borders is certainly a beautiful thought, it--like oh so many other utopian dreams--is like a delicious cake with a tactical nuke inside. Take a bite and everything will blow up in your face.
Why can't we just open the borders and institute a world government then? I foresee the following problems:
1) Humans are territorial by nature. We stake out our claim and everything inside is ours. We want to own things, we want a spot to call home, we want to belong to a group of people who are similar to ourselves.
2) Considering the vast cultural differences between the countries of the world people would feel that their ethics and lifestyle were being trampled by the edicts and laws of the federal government.
3) The bureaucracy needed to govern the whole world would have to be of titanic proportions. Recalling the problems that the EU is having and the Soviet Union had we can extrapolate the terrible ineffectiveness of a world government.
4) (This is controversial.) Some cultures are simply better than others. The Western sphere has more beneficial ethics to the advancement of society and respect for law than the Eastern and third world cultures.
On to nationalism. Nationalism is a powerful romantic archetype that strikes a chord in most people's souls. It feels good to belong to a culture you can feel proud of. A culture that has rich traditions and peculiar traits that clearly set it apart from others. Symbols and rituals can be devised to reinforce this division between nations. Like most ideals, nationalism can turn ugly if it crosses the line to supremism.
However, even supremist nationalism can be beneficient. Most people would probably agree that the Roman Empire did more good than harm to its conquered provinces, since it forced its superior culture on barbarian neighbors (excepting Egypt and Greece).
Is nationalism a purely modern (18th century) invention? Of course not! It was merely fanned by the new powerful national bureaucracies that grew at a pace with the industrial revolution. The ancient Chinese were nationalists, just as the Egyptians, the Romans and the Sumerians for all we know.
The chaos following the fall of Rome and the checkerwork of wandering tribes smothered nationalism until it could eventually re-emerge stronger than ever.
I am a nationalist and I am not ashamed to say it. However, the traits that I find most admirable about my country and my culture are weakening. In many ways, this is a deliberate process that is going on not just in Sweden, but all across Europe and in the USA. It may either lead to the decline of Western civilization (as I fear) or to something new and better.
Ok, hit me!
/Doomie