among most intelligent people feeling
proud of one's country
is a deeply suspect emotion perilously
close to jingoism and racism
it has for several generations been a
mark of sophistication
to disavow any nationalistic emotion
the problem is that ignoring nationalism
doesn't make it go away
it leaves it unguided and undeveloped
ready for exploitation
by the worst voices in a society we
aren't capable of doing without
nationalism
so the challenge is to find our way to
the better kinds
the desire to feel proud of one's
community is a natural
and noble impulse we just need
sophisticated ways
of directing our urge for pride
collective pride is so important because
there's never enough to be proud of
in a single life nationalism takes the
pressure
off all of us it lightens the oppressive
responsibility
we'd otherwise feel to ensure that our
own lives
could always be stellar and heroic
that's why patriotism
invariably proves especially appealing
to those who have the narrowest
opportunities in a society
a fact that elites have not always
treated with the requisite compassion
with well-focused nationalism we don't
have to do it all ourselves
we can find happiness in something in
which we have a small stake
but that goes far beyond us if our
longing for collective pride were taken
more seriously
we learned to invest more money and
energy in things that were owned by
everyone
because we'd recognize that this would
include us
it may be gratifying to own a luxury car
but there's something
properly stirring about being a part
owner along with 300 million others
of a collection of next-generation
high-speed trains that cross the land at
close to the speed of sound
what are the ideal targets for national
pride
the ancient spartans directed their
pride towards military strength
their neighbours the athenians felt
proud of the beauty of the parthenon
the quality of their playwrights and the
wisdom of their philosophers
a really fine society is not one that's
outgrown collective pride
it's one where people are proud of
genuinely great and admirable things
as a philosophical thought experiment
let's imagine the citizens of a future
utopian society
being asked to list some of the things
that they were
collectively proudest of in their
society
it's not just that there are a few
standout famous buildings
citizens are proud of the diffuse
general beauty of their urban
environments
in this utopia it's normal for a very
ordinary street
to look exceptionally charming there's a
lot of censorship over public
advertising
and signage it's entirely
straightforward to get divorced
but people tend not to because of the
collective investment in the stages
leading up to marriage
and because of the sophisticated support
provided by the state
when things get tricky the ministry of
human relationships
has a powerful voice at the cabinet
table no government would ever
contemplate cutting back its budget
public honours are taken very seriously
but what's really notable
is what they're given for the
encouragement of maturity
the display of wisdom the promotion of
beauty and the alignment of profit
with the meeting of our higher needs
it's a country obsessed with celebrities
one of the top celebrities is a
part-time waiter in a cafe
and is widely regarded as the most
well-balanced person
in the country his attitude to shoes
travel
he loves going camping near the lakes
and relationships have been
highly influential another public hero
is a primary school teacher
she is deeply admired for her freestyle
dancing
and her attempts to deal with her
[Music]
an annual event which takes place early
in the evening
on the 2nd of october everyone takes
time usually around 15 minutes
to contemplate the sky there's quite a
bit of build up
celebrities discuss their favorite kinds
of clouds and why these mean so much to
them
and what they're hoping to see this year
the elderly reminisce about a
spectacular 2010
cumulonimbus it's not illegal or even
particularly frowned upon to drink
alcohol
but they drink so much elderflower and
other cordials
because on the whole they're very keen
on keeping cheerful and focused
good government is not dependent upon
which particular elected representative
is in charge
mostly the issues which affect
everyone's life are linked to policies
which are developed and applied
over many years elections tend not to be
about the personality of party leaders
but more about tweaks to the direction
in which the state is traveling
the richest person in the country is a
psychoanalyst the country has the
world's most beautiful network of public
swimming pools
on average the heads of primary schools
earn more than financiers
there's a national reputation for being
tactful health insurance plans cover
treatment for addiction to internet
pornography
we've been too sensitive about what can
go wrong around various kinds of
collective pride the rallies in
nuremberg
evoke a constant fear of collective
aggression and insanity
pride in genuinely good things creates a
powerful
and hugely welcome sense of belonging it
assuages loneliness
and provides benign motivation in a
secular
complex and specialized world we need to
feel that we're not just stray
individuals
dependent for our esteem on our own
achievements
but also that we are members of a wider
entity
for which we're prepared to work and
make wise sacrifices
a nation which to put it romantically we
can feel ready
to love our book small pleasures
guides us around the best of life's
overlooked or underestimated pleasures
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