Ja gut, wahrscheinlich interessiert dieses Thema keinen in einem Kurzgeschichtenbuch, aber wie bereits erwähnt, will ich auch ein paar meiner Ansichten und kreativen Gefankenströme mit euch teilen und deswegen wollte ich einfach mal diesen Essay - angemerkt, dass er in Englisch geschrieben ist, wobei mein Niveau für euch wahrscheinlich kein Problem darstellen wird, weil ich in deutsch um einiges anspruchsvoller und sicherer schreibe - veröffentlichen, weil ich den Kerngedanken heutzutage recht wichtig finde. Ich habe ihn vor einiger Zeit für die Schule geschrieben und mir damit viel Mühe gegeben, aber den anderen vorgelesen, habe ich den Text natürlich nicht. Warum auch? Ich mache doch gerne Arbeit umsonst. ;)
Vielleicht kann ich ja hier einige zum Nachdenken, Schmunzeln oder Diskutieren anregen...

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The national identity is the sense of belonging to one nation, which is a group of people, who have similar values and standards.
Since hundred of years there are people, who hold together, are proud of their nation and fight for their common aims.
But is this thought progressive? And what are its achievements?

In my view no one can deny that he/ she prefers one country, that he/ she loves one country more than the others, and as a result, I see myself as a German.
This is the country I was born in.
This is the language I feel familiar with.
This is the environment I feel at ease.
If you want to know why these are my feelings and if you understand just a few of my words, you must read this essay on affilitation to other people a country or even the world.

To begin with, many people connect bad memories with an abundance of national identity, the chauvinism. Inequality, seperation and hate could be the first associations, because so many cruel things happened in the past. The slavery, the colonialism, unfair rights and political systems or the cruel second world war.
For me, and I am sure that the most people, that all kind hearted people will agree with me in this point, the supeeiority of one country over another is no real solution.
Oppression and inequality were, are and never will be the righr way.

However, and now I do not forget or justify the bad actions, we should not connect national identity just with chauvinism and we should not forget that there is also a good relation towards national solitarity, which is normally called patriotism.
It is a fact that we are influenced by our environment and that we identify with these influences; with national symbols, language, culture, music, food, traditions, history and values. Moreover, it is not a mistake to be proud of these things.
It is an enrichment. It is feeling home.

As you can see, there will always be both sides of the coin. On the one hand, you are often surrounded by people with a similar world view. On the othet hand, there are also people, who follo totally different aims, although this cultural difference is all right.
Sometimes we just have to calm down and understand this, understand that the variety of different people and groups is an advantage.
With this thought in the back of our head we can have diverse nations and accept each other, we can follow our own dreams and let thr others do the same.
Besides, in my opinion it is also possible to learn from each other and to share values. A national identity does not exclude a mutual understanding.

At this point one essential question is indisponsable. How do we define national identity? Is it the origin, the language, the appearence, the favoured values or a little bit of all these things together?
I think that you cannot put people in drawers, because everyone has the possibility to choose his or her own nation and there should not be social barriers or exclusions.
As a result, it is also possible to have two cultures, two nations and two identities like many migrants, who do not want to definitively decide which country their nation is.
In my view there is no precise ans universal definition of a nation and we all should be who we want and where we want. We should follow the well-known proverb "Home is where the heart is".

Some people will still say that the world without different nations, missunderstandings and prejudices is better and that the question I write about, the text I write for me and you and whoever wants to read it, is unnecessary.
Of course, I cannot deny that in general all people are the same, that there should not be a great difference for protecting our peace and that the repitition of horrible mistakes we have made in the past would be a horrific nightmare, although we can learn from it and respect each other.
Additionally, the belonging to a nation can also have a more superficial origin.
I am convinced that there is a sharp border between national pride, singing the national anthem together, loving the home country and unfair discrimination.
Are you convinced too? Or do you want to overcome this border? Do you want to destroy the peace for your personal national identity?

For me there is just one right answer and if we all decide to choose this right way, we will achieve so many benefits together, because a national identity positively strenghtens people and unites them.
Together with the people who have the same valeues and the same dreams we feel strong and powerful and maybe even arrived.
And this is a nation, it is an individual feeling.
Sometimes it is strong, sometimes it is weak, sometimes it happily comes out, sometimes you have to hold it back. The Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgard briefly and lovely summarized "National identity is a motion. It is something you are, you do not get what is happening, you cannot see it from above."

Maybe I should finish this essay with this knowledge, because it urges me to follow my heart and urges me to come back to my first thoughts.
I will spontaneusly say "Yes, I am a German" if someone asks me and I feel home in this country.
I follow many typical german values and I am proud to live here. I know the german abuse in the past, but I also know how grateful we can be to live safely in this country.
This is my national identity, my feeling, my decision.
Now it is your turn!