Do Countries Need Borders?
Pioneering world peace.
When the
great noble prize laureate ‘Gurudeva’ Rabindranath Tagore exclaims “where
the mind is without fear, and world is not fragmented by boundaries”[1] he
emphasizes on the liberty that is innate in the human soul. Likewise, the prolific
poet James Kirkup imparts the values of universal brotherhood when he says “no
men are foreign, no countries strange”[2]. So
why do we even need enemy lines drawn, which segregate us in all aspects? Why
do we have to dispute upon imaginary lines and who gave us the right to claim a
piece of land as ours?
Considering
that we are just another species to set foot on Earth we have just as much
right over any piece of land as any other species. But humans are not just
another species as of now. We have been responsible for creating these lines by
bloodshed but also globalization, we have ruined our planet to the point of
no return but we are also constantly working towards replenishing it. Moreover,
it becomes essential to have borders to mark a sovereignty in view of how our
society is organized.
Accountability
of government for our welfare compels us to have independent states. Not only
does the spirit of nationalism engraved within its citizens leads to betterment
of the nation but also plays the vital role of creating healthy competition
amongst other nations, ultimately benefiting the whole mankind. Another
significant aspect to ponder upon is how every nation has its own foundations
and social structures designed uniquely to fulfill the needs of its citizens. This
allows peaceful co-existence both nationally and internationally.
Despite taking
all these facts in light, establishment of a borderless world is an intricate and
unprecedented phenomenon. One entity being responsible for governance of a whole
planet will lead to the voice of the minorities going unheard. Countries would
be deprived of their ethnicity and the world would fall into the abyss of
mismanagement and contravention of pre-existent notions. Furthermore, baffling
questions, such as who’ll regulate the currency? What language will be accepted
universally? What would be the structure of this newly formed administrative
body? Will be posed and reaching a unanimous decision on these would be near to
impossible.
To summarize,
the idea of a world without borders is practically impossible. Although, the
world is not confined by boundaries on a social or economic front anymore, by
the virtue of advancements in social and e-commerce applications but political
unity across the globe is a rather far-fetched and impractical idea. The establishment
of global peace and harmonious co-existence is a priority today which should be
achieved by nations whilst maintaining their own sovereignty rather than having
a borderless world. The sense of unity and universal brotherhood should be
given precedence as “no men are foreign, no countries strange” [3]
