Zamenhof : nationalism

Publié le jeudi 5 août 2004 par admin_sat

As for myself, I must regrettably distance myself from this matter, because I am a convinced homarano [1] and I cannot become attached to the strivings and ideals of any particular ethnic group or religion. I am profoundly convinced that all forms of nationalism represent nothing but the worst misfortune for humanity, and that everyone should pursue the objective of creating a harmonious human race. It is true that the nationalism of oppressed peoples – as a natural act of self-defence – is far more excusable than the nationalism of peoples that oppress ; yet although the nationalism of the strong is ignoble, the nationalism of the weak is unwise ; both engender and support one another, and they constitute a vicious circle of misfortunes, from which humanity will never escape unless all of us give up our collective self-love and try to stand on completely neutral ground. That is why I, despite the heart-rending suffering of my people, do not wish to adhere to Hebrew nationalism, but rather to work only for the cause of absolutely just human relations. I am profoundly convinced that this will do my unfortunate people more good than nationalistic strivings.