100 Years Ago Today

Volunteers give silent tribute to 20,000 soldiers who died in historic battle 100 years ago today.

There are some people who don't feel history is important. I can only assume that they haven't had anything significant happen to them personally--no broken hearts, no near death moments, no...nothing. The past informs the future. As the saying goes: mistakes are experience, and experience brings wisdom. The past programs us. It teaches us whether we're aware of it or not.[1] So, what came out of WWI besides a great deal of death?

The EU for one thing.

I've a friend who insists that localization is the only way to live--that the US should dissolve because the Union is too unwieldy to be effective. Personally, I've always felt that his opinion was based entirely upon three things: a blinkered view that the world operates the same for everyone regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or class when it very much doesn't; a devout belief in the holy myth of the self-made man; and a willful blindness toward the benefits of centralized government. I've never had a lengthy discussion with him on the issue because I've never sensed his position was genuinely reasonable in spite of his claims to the contrary. He's quite set in his political stance to the point of religious dogma. There's no discussion with someone speaking from that place. There is only proselytizing. There's nothing wrong with criticizing political systems. It's the only way they become more refined--and we do want them to become more efficient. And this is why upon the advent of Brexit, I did almost respond when he asked what was wrong with localization? (And then I remembered it wasn't a genuine question.) Still, the question hung in my mind as often happens. I am an inquisitive person,[2] after all, and I love to discuss politics and other more serious issues. The above story gave me my answer.

The key word here is 'localization.' It's a sneaky word. It sounds so harmless. However, 'localization' on a national/political level is nationalism. And nationalism is the reason why we endured not just one, but two World Wars. Nationalism is why 20,000 people died at the Somme. Nationalism is the reason approximately 80 million people died in and due to World War II.[3] And in order to prevent such a thing from ever happening again, the countries of Western Europe decided to form a union. They began the process in 1945. Mind you, no system invented by human beings is ever without flaws. Human beings are, in fact, flawed creatures. However, the system does work and has in preventing war--far better than nationalism would. So, with that said I'll leave off with this video that came out a while ago. It states my position on unification and centralized government far better than I can. 

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[1] See unconscious bias, internalized oppression, micro-aggressions, and well... the entire science of perception. Our brains are, in fact, hard-wired this way.
[2] I'm curious too...but the context isn't the same. ;) So, I made an edit.
[3] Estimate includes 19-28 million from war-related disease and famine.