To the best of my knowledge, we are the only species to draw arbitrary lines in the earth separating people, and taxing them when they cross it....and even worse, sometimes not allowing them to cross that line, a line which doesn't even really exist except in our heads.
Territory is a reality for most of the creatures that live on the planet. Many species fight over territory...even the neighborhood dogs do this.
It is the human being which is capable of transcending the notion of territory, but not community.
Call it what you want, but it is a form of discrimination, because you are looking at (and treating) people differently simply because of where they were born.
Yes you may have that burden, unless you transcend it.
I am not saying we will overcome it.....some things are just as they are and we are called to accept them.
I cannot accept the bombing of innocents. You cannot present the rational argument for it...because none exists.
But nationalism is NOT a precept of Christ, or the Buddha, or any enlightened person. In fact, they taught the opposite! We are all one family....the sooner we acknowledge this, the better we all will be.
Yes, nationalism can be a driver of evil deeds. But I have not espoused that Jesus was a nationalist...those are your words. What I said is that we are naturally inclined to be in communities of people. It is our design. We need others for survival, for comfort, for reproduction, for love, for peace, for work, for fun, for everything. Even the hermit needs community.
Man lived for tens of thousands of years without states and nations. The time we as a species spent using them is much shorter than the time we have not. This is simply a fact.
How do you know what man did to organize community tens of thousands of years ago? You say that community, tribes, nations are new to this earth?
Man cannot exist without community. As the earth grows smaller the organization of communities, tribes and nations has evolved, as has everything on the planet. But for you to state that we have not had nations is simple ignorance combined with speculation about unwritten history.
Jesus professed peace and love. You profess bombing and killing...even when it has not been demonstrated that these actions were needed for the security of our nation. Had we been repelling a hostile enemy, I believe we have a right...and a duty to defend ourselves. We have overstepped that duty, and therefore have sinned in the eyes of the lord.
When you support this kind of action in word and deed, you too are a sinner of equal degree. Now just try to wash the blood from your hands...but you cannot.
Orca |
