Why is Nationalism a Bad thing?

What does it mean? It simply means the identification with ones own nation and support for its peoples. All it’s peoples. 

Nationalism in its true form doesn’t care what colour you are or the language you speak, it only cares about the nation of people you are a part of. 

I’m a nationalist, I love my country, the people it’s made up of and soil it’s founded upon. By the people I mean every single one of them. A nation is a symbiotic relationship, every one of us needs every other one of us to make any, but especially, our nation all it can be. 

A nation doesn’t require that there be agreement between everyone, nor does it require that we live in absolute, harmony. It does however require that we live to further a common goal. That goal at the very least being to raise all citizens of the nation to the highest levels possible, be it economic or educational or even an inherent felling of self respect. 

I want to live in that nation. The one where differences are discussed, debated and even in disagreement will agree to find a fair compromise. I want a nation, not of equality but of oneness , equality of opportunity, the right to be the best you can be. 

I’ve never met a man of any ethnicity I did not like, and most likely nor have you, once met it’s possible for a man to reveal himself as unlikeable or of bad character, but upon meeting this is unknown and as such not something we tend to do. 

More than anywhere else in the world, we live in a country so ethnically intertwined that we are not surprised or fearful of interacting with any and all peoples of every stripe. The Europeans in our country often remember their “nanny” as some of their first and fondest memories, I’ll not speak for people whose lives I have not lived but can say I know none nor would I associate with any that would judge or hate anyone based on anything but their actions. 

We are South Africans first and our tribe, culture or ethnicity second, we need to remember this, we need to stand as a nation and insist that our dignity and our way of life be preserved. We need to be able to speak openly about our actual problems and not accept the Government deflecting our anger towards one another while they, openly, plunder the coffers and laugh in the faces of those that brought them to power. 

Make them accountable for their actions, make them worthy of your vote, and most of all force them to return our pride for what is actually ours and not theirs to take for only themselves and their children. 

My brothers and sisters of Africa, remember I too identify as an African, it’s not the colour of our skin that determines this fact , 

it is the soil under our feet. 

Be safe, be well and be respectful.