I was asked yesterday what unity looks like in a nation-state. It’s strange that one has to explain since we all lived in nation-states until very recently. But I can repeat that national unity is formed by fostering emotional attachment to the symbols of the nation, the shared narrative of its history, and the shared veneration for a list of cultural, political, artistic, and military figures associated with the nation state. The flag, the anthem, the national sports team, the museum, the archive. The language, the literature, the music, the shared narrative of history.
Few things are as algorithmic and have been described as exhaustively as nation-building.
Here’s a popular meme in Ukraine. Stare at the black dot in the picture for 20 seconds and then stare at the ceiling. You’ll see the flag of Ukraine.
That’s national unity. People want to see the flag of their nation on the ceiling. They are flooded with warm, fuzzy feelings in response to seeing the flag.
The way this whole way of life gets dismantled is with the idea that since you haven’t chosen this flag, this story, this anthem, and this place, it’s a limitation on the most important thing which is your freedom. You start going down the road of choosey, consumerist, ego-flattering freedom, and it’s mega enjoyable. There’s no responsibility for anything and to anyone. No ties, no unchosen emotions. You move through, extracting value, gorging yourself on it, and moving on from the consequences.
It’s all great fun. Until you are the roadkill from which value was extracted before leaving you by the side of the road. Most people imagine they’ll be the wrecking crew. Instead, they’ll be roadkill.
I suggest starting in the place where the word “unchosen” feels like something negative when the things we love most in life are usually exactly that.
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