NATIONALISM AND PEACE/DESTRUCTION

Nationalism- the feeling of being a member of a nation, a feeling that can be deemed either patriotic or fanatic, depending on the extent to which the feeling degrades your ability to be sensible in making decisions on issues that may or may not directly concern the “Individual”. My doubt however is, why in the first place, did a need for such a feeling, such a sentiment arise? To usher in harmony and peace in a piece of land demarcated by boundaries drawn out of language, culture, traditions, lifestyles, food habits etc which in turn led to intolerance, disrespect and the urge to suppress the people of other “Kind” ? Was it to bring in peace or ring in bells of destruction of humanity as we understand it?

Lets see..
Why did I feel the need to live in a society? I feel, I cannot survive on my own? No. I feel, I will have a more comfortable life if I depend on other people? Yes. Am I really open to other people depending on me? Well, maybe, but I would prefer to set some filters first which will help me in short listing those whom I would like, rather those whom I would not mind helping(mind you, I am not putting any filters on receiving help.). Fine, the conditions are worked upon and accepted by a group who later go on to make a society and in the larger picture a nation. Now, peace and harmony prevail in my nation and so does humanity and kindness. I happy or am I?
There is something else that I see with the people of other nations and I want it (here I has now become a “We”, we standing for a nation), but at the same time I am not ready to relax my filters. Do I forget about it? No. Why? Because I cannot survive without having them? No. Because I am greedy for anything and everything that grants me a better life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? YES. Thus, what do I have my hands filled with? Wars, death and destruction, inhumanity and cruelty, abuse of basic human rights! In all of this we still manage to maintain a fair amount of peace within our nation!
What’s my conclusion? Should we have nations in the world? Yes. We should encourage the feeling of nationalism? Yes. Why? To maintain peace and harmony only in that piece of land? Absolutely yes! Should I have that selfish eye on what other nations have that I don’t? No. Do I have it? Yes. Do I restrain myself? No. Because I want the best for myself? Yes. Is it wrong??? No (here I have turned into a fanatic, but then can anyone define a universally accepted line as a demarcation between nationalism and fanatic nationalism??). Why not? My motherland is the greatest! Here’s where any rational man would drop his guns, because he will not be able to convince me that I am wrong.

So the million dollar question is, “what did my nationalism give me?” Peace or destruction?