Nationalism is a very young concept. As a way of organising ourselves, we have trialled and errored lots and lots. Nations came out of the enlightenment as a push back against Monarchs and 'the divine rule of Kings'. The appetite of Monarchs meant they were less likely to define their subjects too tightly. More was better. As we started to define ourselves by a 'The People', Racism and Prejudice reared its ugly head. Companies also started life like countries. The East India Company ruled India for 101 years. Companies had armies and flags. Eventually we realised that wasn't such a good idea. Mercantilism was when Countries treated themselves like Companies that competed in Win-Lose scenarios. The Kings and Queens were war-like CEOs. Gradually we realised that was stupid. Free Trade can be win-win. It is important to remember all these things (money, countries, religions, languages) are shared stories that help us cooperate. We can rewrite and update the stories as we learn. Carry on trialling. Carry on erroring. Carry on learning.
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