Nation States

When the genocide in Gaza began last October I put a Palestinian flag in my window. I have had the flag for a couple of decades, bought at an international craft and unity fair, never putting it to use in any way. After a couple of days I felt silly and pretentious, and took the flag down. No one noticed it anyway, but it focused my attention on the debacle in Gaza, and it made me think about my perceptions, beliefs and how I could help.

There isn’t much I can do. Write this blog, donate some money (I don’t have much), show up for events, write to various political leaders, government entities, news media, talk to people.

I went to the tent encampment at the University of Wisconsin earlier this month, where there were Palestinian flags in abundance, and numerous people were wearing keffiyehs, the Arab and Palestinian scarf. I pictured myself wearing one, and once again felt silly and pretentious. And, I would have looked silly and pretentious.

Prone to self-reflection, I wondered why I was so shy about wearing cultural attire in solidarity with the oppressed. It just isn’t me. It would be like wearing a uniform, to me at least, and I have been averse to uniforms of any kind. It would mean identifying with a group, or mass, and my inclination is to disidentify as a personal spiritual path, becoming nobody. Not A nobody, but nobody, no one in particular – no "race," no nationality, no gender, and no religion, though my inclination is to Buddhism as a practice. I'm not a veteran either, except at the VA. I don’t get up in the morning and say "What a great day to be heterosexual." Or a "white" man, a man, an "American" or even a Buddhist. Buddha consciousness appeals to me, and it would be nice to attain that state, but it is a state of being, not an identity. I at least have the sense to know that I don’t reach that state by ever more identifying as a Buddhist, as in "Boy, I’m really, really, really a Buddhist today!"

I don’t say this to anyone - it's not the time - but I don't believe in a Palestinian state. I don’t believe in the State of Israel either. I don’t believe in the United States of America. They are all nation states. In the case of Palestine, it is a potential state, a small state, but a state nonetheless. Before the encroachment of Zionism there was no state at all, though the British empire seized the land as its own colony, or "protectorate." Before British protection the region lived in relative peace as part of the Ottoman Empire. Then came World War I - the supposed Great War. Great, I suppose, in an ironic sense, or maybe great for profiteers and politicians.

Once Britain had Palestine defined as something distinct and theirs, it was all the easier to give it away as they saw fit, which they did after World War II, granting it to the created settler state of Israel. Little did they know they were creating the ultimate nation state, a monstrous combination of conceited religion, ethnicity, military rapaciousness, and lust for power and land. Beware anyone else, especially those nearby, but as we are seeing in places like UCLA, perceived enemies anywhere on the planet.

To the British it was an act of killing two birds with one stone – getting rid of Jews and creating a wedge in the Middle East from which they could, along with the U.S. and other European powers, arm to the teeth and maintain power (hegemony) in the region. Nation states could band together against other nation states, build up their own armies and fight others, carefully choosing weaker opponents to obliterate - such as Iraq and Afghanistan in our case - and the stateless Palestinians in the case of Israel. We have since taken up the mantle of sponsor of Israel, having the guns and money that European countries can't afford. Or don't need to afford, having us to foot all bills

It is totally evil, but these nation states show neither scruple nor hesitation when it comes to genocide and destruction. Veterans of all these phony wars should be evidence enough of the folly of endless nation state carnage. We just had Memorial Day in the U.S., somber remembrances, patriotic parades, music, fireworks (of course), flags at half-staff, members of the services in dress blues doing 21 gun salutes, and Forrest Gump actor Gary Sinise posing as a celebrity spokesman for those who served, because he acted like a wounded soldier in a comedy-fantasy movie. I don’t use the word sheesh very often, but sheesh!

So the nation state of Russia invaded the smaller nation state of Ukraine early last year. Israel is still invading the non-existent nation state of Gaza since last October. The U.S. is supporting and arming the smaller nation state of Ukraine, but supporting and arming the larger and uninhibited nation state of Israel in its genocide of the stateless people of Gaza.

We also have chosen to call the nation state of China our enemy, or adversary. It is kind of hapless. China is a very big, very powerful nation state, with a large army, powerful navy, and nuclear weapons. We don’t have a draft anymore, and young people are not flocking to enlistment centers, but what the heck, we’re a nation state, and preparing for and threatening war is what nation states do. For now. If we want to save our conglomeration of nation states maybe we could stop waging war on nature, and instead declare war on climate change. 

It is not going to happen. Wars are about destruction, mayhem and mass murder. Where’s the fun in saving the planet?

Interestingly enough, the nation state of "America" hasn’t seen fit to bomb or invade the smaller and poverty stricken nation state of North Korea, which used to be united with its ethnic brother South Korea, in pre-nation state, pre-World War II, where large nation states brought everyone in on the carnage. North Korea has nuclear weapons, so never mind. It is too unpredictable and unmanageable, and we can just posture semi-aggressively and hope for the best. Such is the great wisdom of the most powerful nation state on Earth, by our own definition, us, the narcissism center of the Universe, America. What’s on TV tonight? Let’s call out for pizza! 

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Here's a song. Here's another. Jimi Hendrix, my favorite.