The Notion of Nation essays

The Notion of Nation essays The word "nation" may mean differing things to divergent people. To most Americans, the word means a democracy where freedom reigns and patriotism is still strong. In a democratic nation, success is open to just about anyone with new ideas. Dictionary.com defines the word as "A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country." However, just a glimpse at the nations who comprise the United Nations show just how loose that definition can be. Some of the "member states" include Iran, Iraq, China, Viet Nam, and the United States. Clearly, there are very differing forms of government and national loyalties at work in each of these countries, and yet they are all known as nations. When the term nation first came into use, it seemed to represent nations that had gained their independence, or had formed common bonds to create a larger nation-state, such as the colonial United States, or the early Grecian nation-state, also known as an empire at first. It seems nations can bring out the best in their people, but that is not always the case. Some nations gain freedoms for their people, while others repress their people. An important part of any nation are the people who share it, for they bring their own collective pride and patriotism to their nation, and they can make it strong, or bring it down. Clearly, the most successful nations understand how to blend government with the people's wishes and concerns. Not all nations handle this effectively, and this is why there seems to be so much turmoil in the world. Nations cannot always agree on themselves and their needs, and so they cannot communicate these needs with the nations surrounding them. Nationalism is a strong feeling of national pride, and the strongest nations cultivate this pride, while still managing to work effectively with the other nations of the world....