uncertainly intangible

What is the point of patriotism?  Why do we have borders to seperate us from everyone else when we are comprised of all of them?  What is the point of nationalism?  Were we not descended from people, who were also descended from people, who were descended from other people who were not from here?

Why do I take pride in the place that I’m from?  What gives me this sense of ownership over it?  Why do we care so deeply about our heritage?  Is it not always important to remember the past even if it was bad?  What’s in a place that makes it our home?  What is in a place that makes others feel that they too belong there?  Should it matter who was there first, or should it matter who was there the longest?  Should it even matter who is there now?

If the winner writes history, who writes the truth?  Do we have a right to be here?  Is citizenship so important that all other laws become secondary?  If we all are born with inalienable rights, why do we continue to deprive people of those rights?  How can a country exist where everyone is free to believe anything they wish, and to live how they wish to live, to be anything and anyone they want to be, different from all others, and then deny access to hundreds of millions who are also different and wish to have a better way of life?

If our rights extend beyond our borders to us wherever we are, do their rights not also extend into ours to them?  Do they have the right to leave their home for ours?  Do we have the right to turn them away?  Why is this such a hard decision?  Why is this such a delicate matter?  Do we even know what we want?  How can a nation composed of 300 million different points of view ever possibly come to any agreements on anything?  Are we not all people?  Do we not share the same land and the same home?  If our laws are so good and work so well, why do other countries not have our same laws?

If people were put in a certain place by God, but given an entire world to explore, would God want them to stay in that one place?  If they were cast out of that place by God would they not want to return?  What would be their home?  If God did not exist, would we still belong to any certain place?  Why would we kill to preserve our own history?  What is so important about the past that it should dictate what we do and where we go?  Why do some wounds never heal?  Why must we live with eachother when we still want to live apart?

Do we really expect hundreds of thousands of people to leave?  If they do not follow our laws, do they deserve to be punished?  If they are not our people do they deserve to be treated like us?  If they don’t respect our laws, are we justified in not respecting them?  Why can’t they follow the rules and apply for citizenship?  Why does it take so long for immigration services to deal with paperwork like that?  If most of us would fail such a test why are we so freely granted citizenship?  Do we not remember our heritage?  Do we not care where we come from?  Does it matter?  Should it matter?  I don’t know.