We don’t need borders
This is a border between two countries. Why?
“Those who have no fence around their land have no enemies.” (Burundi Proverb)
There are approximately 200 countries in the world today (2013), which means hundreds of artificial dividing lines between places and people in our world.
And the fact that this number is approximate because there is no clear agreement on what constitutes a “country” as well as that so many of these borders are disputed, speaks volumes.
Almost all of these borders (the only exceptions being island states) are human constructs.
They originated in the minds of people prior the creation of the actual physical borders.
And they all send clear messages …
- Keep out/stay in.
- WE belong here; YOU don’t.
- This BELONGS to us; NOT to you.
Create a border. Give birth to a conflict; as history demonstrates, frequently violent conflict.
What motivates humans to create borders?
Power and/or Fear. And often enough they are one and the same.
… A quest for power, which itself frequently originates in fear, as well as generating it, can only result in conflict.
… Those who fear intrusion construct borders as perceived protection from “undesirable” outsiders. But why should we fear intrusion? We feel threatened = fear!
What if we say “welcome!” instead?
While our world today is too complex for the free-flowing anarchic state of thousands, even hundreds of years ago, boundaries would suffice for administrative purposes.
Boundaries are desirable even necessary. Borders are neither desirable nor necessary.
Imagine … a borderless world …
No enemies, no violent conflict …