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Freedom is good thing. Although, it is still virtually impossible to accurately define a nation, some possibly acceptable definitions do exist. You can always argue for and against the question of a national identity. Some nations are the unions of smaller nations while others may have been divided by artificial geographical lines. Not necessarily selfish or self-centered, but, we all have an innate bias for ourselves. This bias can and does always extends into others like one for family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, relatives and many others. In modern times the national, linguistic and accentual biases are most prominent and powerful. Although most people still hold, to at least some degree, the outdating biases like religious, ethnic, racial, tribal, factional and many others.
These biases have given rise to current nations, linguistic and accentual groups. National, linguistic and accentual biases are usually the ones with which the people are recognized as “us” or “others”. These biases motivate people to defend and fight for the rights and privileges of their specific group. As with any other bias, these, often lead to negative sentiments or even hostilities towards competing groups. Bias is a healthy survival instinct, as long as it provokes love for “us”. It becomes ugly when starts provoking hate towards “others”.
There are always people, leaders and opinion formulators like politicians and media, in every group who would like to cash on exploiting hate based on national, linguistic and accentual biases. “We are the chosen ones”, is still the notion for haters. Others are bad, ugly, stupid, ignorant, criminal and violent. Fascist thinking and approaches like everyone must be like us in order to be good, prevail in haters. National, linguistic and accentual emotions can always grow into hate or dislike for others. While these people cherish their rights, they commonly run over the similar rights of the others, as if they have privileges over the others.
While pride and love for your own values is good and necessary, the hate and dislike for the values of others is dangerous, and always results into hate for hate. We must never forget that pride and love for our own way of living is essential for our survival, and tolerance for others’ is key to the broader survival and growth of humanity, as a whole, including us. Crazy people have been dreaming of one world since time immemorial. But, the world has always remained diverse, and will always remain diverse.
Dream of making whole world live in similar way, has always given nothing but disaster and bloodshed. We may not like other people’s way of living and others may not like ours. The obvious and reasonable way for all of us to survive and prosper is to tolerate each other. World leadership and dominance is stupid whether dreamed by us or others. In spite of building animosities by bossing around we all must be building mutual co-operation and trade which would benefit every one of us and harm will be prevented for all of us. People in Scotland and Britain are trying to answer similar questions, right now.
Due to very vague and controversial definition of nationalism, it is nearly impossible to determine, if Scottish people are freer with Britain or under independent Scotland or in neither of those. Degree of individual freedom varies a lot even within independent states from completely collectivist to completely Anarchist. Most lie somewhere in between. So, national freedom may or may not enhance your freedom. It may actually be curtailed after perceived freedom. In the end, it is the decision of Scottish people. For them the freedom is what they perceive as freedom, with or without Britain. We all must be very proud and happy that the humanity has reached an evolutionary stage where these kind of critical disputes can be settled by peaceful manners like voting.
I congratulate Britain for showing such a great initiative. This must be role model for the world. Although, even this apparently generous measure is not free of mischief. If you give it a serious look, the initiative is more like political and intelligent. The support for an independent Scotland has been on rise for a while. It was becoming very clear that soon a majority of Scottish people will be in favor of independence. If delayed even further, there was a possibility of violence, too.
Allowing the franchise at this point when the support for independence is still not in majority can seal Scotland’s fate with Britain for a very long period of time. The proponents of freedom will be silenced or at least rendered ineffective for a foreseeable future. The referendum only allows yes or no. There is no third option for more autonomy which was most likely to win if the citizens were provided with third option. The no vote which is more likely, until now, will allow Scotland’s union with Britain, as it is, right now.
So, the voices for autonomy will be ineffective, at least for a while. Still, there is a big risk involved for Britain. Things can change and Scotland may vote for independence. After all, this is the risk Britain had to take considering the way public opinion was moving. With the passage of time this risk was only growing. The fact of the matter is that both sides are campaigning hard. The yes campaign is giving very hard time to British might. As usual, the yes campaign is running on hope and no campaign is running on fear-mongering. In fact, the facts and figures go for and against both sides.
The truth is this. In either case, Scotland will survive and grow. Only question is which might be better or even none of these options may be good, in true and wholesome sense. Many countries have broken away from Britain and survived. Some are better off, like us, for example. Some might be worse like may be Ireland. Questions like EU membership, currency, economy, education, research and health are rather arbitrary and more of a political game than true concerns. Even as the part of U.K. and E.U., Scotland has responsibilities and privileges, and revenues and expenses. For the most part, these will not change, drastically, with or without UK or EU.
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