Comfort And Familiarity Essay

Individuals crave contentment, inclusion, and familiarity in all circumstances, not only because these qualities aid survival, but also because of the universal feeling of comfort and safety that accompany them. This yearning for these qualities has aided human beings in the creations of various forms of societies, and have helped to verify the widely known Aristotelian claim that “man is by nature a social animal.” Of the many different types of societies, nations have proved to be the most powerful form of society and have served to be the unifying force for large number of people. The comfort that arose from this type of society gave birth to nationalism, the love and loyalty expressed towards a nation. By definition, a nation is a large number of people bound together by a common history, culture, and language. A nation is different from a country or a state, because these are the institutions that govern a certain people and territory, and the love and loyalty expressed towards this is patriotism. In an era where sovereign entities are no longer nations but states, humanity has entered an era where nationalism actively threatens the newly defined global ideals of comfort, inclusion, and familiarity.

Before discussing the nature of nationalism, it is necessary to tackle the psychology behind comfort, inclusion, and familiarity. In many cases with the human species, familiarity preceded inclusion, and

Most countries today are based on the ideals of democracy, freedom, liberty, and justice. The love of these qualities and the institutions that defend these is different from nationalism and is to be supported in any way possible. The great American patriots who lay their life down for the fundamental ideas of freedom and democracy, the great Korean fighters who fought against oppression and condescension--these are examples of people who love their country and the ideals behind