Territorialism.
For those of you who followed my posts on what caused the financial meltdown there is one fundamental part which I neglected to explain which is why. Why do governments behave in this way? Why do we need to support our nation states and central banks? Why do we feel the need to protect what is 'ours'.
Sounds like a dumb question at first. But then that's only because we haven't as yet defined what we mean by 'ours' and more importantly who gave it to us.
Take the situation of two neighbours living on the border of Germany and France just before World War II. One of them would identify himself as German and the other as French. They may each be willing to risk their lives for the sake of that identity. In fact many did. But the border between them was actually artificial. A line that someone drew on a map. And yet for the sake of that line they have risked their lives.
Consider another example. Two babies are born in the same hospital, one Muslim and the other Jewish. And for some reason there is a mix-up and they end up being switched. The Muslim grows up as a Jew and the Jew as a Muslim. What are their true identities? What would they tell you they are if you asked them as adults? Most likely they would identify themselves with the way in which they were brought up. They would wish to protect what is 'theirs'. Their way of life. Their beliefs. Their reality.
And for this they may go to war.
For an identity given to them, that they could call their own.
Identity theft is a big deal nowadays, but the ultimate truth is that many of us had our identities stolen at birth. And to replace them we were given ideals, moral codes and a sense of self righteousness. That which we were given became 'ours' to defend. In the process we became bound into a system of protection of ideals and lost touch with who we really were and still are: individuals.
Sounds like a dumb question at first. But then that's only because we haven't as yet defined what we mean by 'ours' and more importantly who gave it to us.
Take the situation of two neighbours living on the border of Germany and France just before World War II. One of them would identify himself as German and the other as French. They may each be willing to risk their lives for the sake of that identity. In fact many did. But the border between them was actually artificial. A line that someone drew on a map. And yet for the sake of that line they have risked their lives.
Consider another example. Two babies are born in the same hospital, one Muslim and the other Jewish. And for some reason there is a mix-up and they end up being switched. The Muslim grows up as a Jew and the Jew as a Muslim. What are their true identities? What would they tell you they are if you asked them as adults? Most likely they would identify themselves with the way in which they were brought up. They would wish to protect what is 'theirs'. Their way of life. Their beliefs. Their reality.
And for this they may go to war.
For an identity given to them, that they could call their own.
Identity theft is a big deal nowadays, but the ultimate truth is that many of us had our identities stolen at birth. And to replace them we were given ideals, moral codes and a sense of self righteousness. That which we were given became 'ours' to defend. In the process we became bound into a system of protection of ideals and lost touch with who we really were and still are: individuals.
