I  still don’t see what is so wrong with the notion that humanity should be trying to outgrow nationalism. Why can’t we see beyond state borders and try to work as one? Does nationalism not just ferment rivalry and bitterness  across essentially arbitrary lines on a map? If the planet has limited resources, shouldn’t we be working together to ensure those resources are used in the best way possible? I know many people derive  much of their identities from their nationality, taking pride in the  fact that they were born into a particular state; but would it not be better to take pride in the fact that one is human, and in what humanity as a whole has achieved. Granted, nations add to human  variety; but, now more than ever, borders are irrelevant to cultural diversity. We no longer need to segregate ourselves to remain unique or maintain diverse identities. Indeed, maintaining division only perpetuates friction between cultural groups. Thus I ask with increasing exasperation, why are we maintaining national borders, resorting to nationalism and shunning international cooperation? I may be british, I may be English, but those are just two of a plethora of identities which make up who I am. Far more important to me is the fact I am human.

We are all unique, so getting rid  of the lines on the map which currently separate humanity won’t diminish human diversity: now more than ever, culture exists independently of geography. And taking inordinate pride in the fact that  one was born in a given piece of land only serves to perpetuate the rivalries which  have lead to the most shameful episodes of human history. Isn’t it time we all started  coming together?