NATIONALISM VS INTERNATIONALISM, A CASUAL COMMENT

Rooted in our own culture we must shoot out into the world so that we may assimilate what is best in the human scene and make it our own. Thus, we will be spared both the ills of isolationist nationalism as well as the dilution of national culture in the wake of a global flooding. Balance is the key and this is best attained by striking our roots deep even as we stretch our arms into the wide world seeking nourishment. The classic illustration is that of the tree which absorbs photosynthetic material from the soil it is rooted to but synthesises them in the sunlight streaming in from the heavens and the air arriving from its environs, near and far, far as far can be. In this way, the conflict between narrow nationalism and shallow internationalism may be solved and the harmony arrived where the twain will co-exist in peace for the right advance of all.