WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF NATION-STATE IN GLOBALIZATION?

First, let us differentiate nation and state. State is more of a political and legal concept of a certain community or group of people while nation is the cultural concept. A certain country can have many nations within it because nation depends on the people sense of belonging due to same language, history, religion or tradition. While a state is a more concrete sense of community because it involves a certain territory and has a government. But nowadays, these two terms hold a more complex and interchangeable identity in the global world.

I think because of the world being more globalized many have lived out of their own boundaries. For example, if you watch America’s Best Dance Crew, you will notice that most of the contestants are not entirely Americans by appearance. Some of the contestants would even admit to living a different culture compared to what the Americans were used to. But they are still considered Americans based on citizenship, based on the law, because if not I think they will not be able to join that competition in the first place. The nation-state ideal has become visible all over the world especially in America. But you can still see a great indifference among people who are considered not physically or naturally Americans.
So from what I understand nation-state, deals with a group of people being identified as the citizen of the state by political and legal means not by heredity. Even though a person may look Asian but he is born Ameican, he is still considered American.

I think nation-state is one factor or result of globalization. Because people are becoming more connected and interrelated, people try to live outside their borders. Nowadays, it’s been easy for people to go to other places and live there and gain citizenship. That’s why it can be observed that nation-state is a phenomenon that just keeps growing and growing due to globalization. Maybe in the past, nation can be a similar term for state because then people belonging in a certain state also have the same language and culture. But now people who have different culture, history and language could live in the same state altogether.

WHY DO WE OBEY?

When we were young, we were taught to always follow and obey those that are older than us like our parents, teachers, and etc. But as we grow older we also realize that it is important to follow those in higher power specifically the government. When we were young, we have to obey those that are older than us because it’s the right thing to do. It’s what expected from kids because they’re the authority. But as we grow older the government became the authoritative figures in our lives. I think it is essential that we follow or obey these people because they’re the ones who have more power among us. They’re powerful in a sense they have more in control of the environment we live in because they’re the one who governs rules and laws. And also we have this thinking that these people know what’s best for us because they’re actually the leaders of this country and they should set as a good example. That’s why it is particularly important for us to obey our government because they have the power to affect our lives.

I also think that we have this thinking that we should always obey something or someone with higher power. I think ever since men learned how to think, we also became aware of higher beings and these higher beings should be obeyed because they can be our creator and they have the control over our surroundings and lives. So I can say obeying is indeed in our nature. It also promotes stability and peace among us. Laws and rules are essential for better control among our society. And as said, it is important to respect and obey these laws. But I think obeying is not always that important and crucial in our lives. We have the right to think for ourselves and to follow our own beliefs; it is not always the case that we have to follow other people. We sometimes have to fight for what we believe is right and disobey our government to protect and fight for this right.

Throughout history, there have been many examples of people fighting for their freedom against a bad government. As human beings, we are given the freedom to live just exactly like human beings. And I think having a good government that provides us with that freedom and right should also have their rights to be respected and obeyed by us. So for a bad government, I think it is necessary to overthrow or oust those people that lead us to a bad life. In this kind of government, I think obeying is no longer important because the people that we should be obeying are not worthy of that trust and respect. Bad government can only leads to a worst environment and worst life for each and everyone, so it has become necessary to do a proper action to gain a better life. We don’t always have to obey people in our government specially those that are corrupt. For me, the people who deserve that kind of right are those that show great respect for my well-being also. And a corrupt government has only their own intention at heart and doesn’t respect my right as a person. Also, these leaders are not setting a good example for those that are following him. I personally can never tolerate a bad leader because it only means that he will not do anything right for the group and could be our downfall. I only follow and obey leaders that are responsible and trust-worthy. Leaders that doesn’t show any confidence and respect to them and for others will never be good enough to be followed and obeyed by anybody.

Even if obeying has been a part of a person’s existence because of our ability to think of what is right and wrong, we are given the chance to go against people especially those that doesn’t deserve our obedience. It is much more important to listen to our own self and think for our own because at the end of the day, we know what is right for us and we are responsible for our own lives.