Borders.

- Vama

The truth is borders are as primitive as the agricultural revolution. The first few borders were seen during that time in the form of enclosures for fields. If borders are that ancient, it’s important to understand why they were created. National borders are geographic boundaries between certain areas. While some of them are natural like water bodies or mountain ranges, many are imposed by humans and hold a political nature. So it can be said that national borders are a means of dividing different ideas of government, culture, language and people so that they can function efficiently. The culture of a society heavily depends on the geographic setting. Putting that area in a boundary allows the the culture to flourish to its fullest in a safe space where it’s specific needs can be considered.

There are several practical advantages for a society when borders exist. For example, crime is easily regulated because movement in and out of the country is as well. They do prevent wars to some extent because there is no territory left to capture. While we are all citizens of one world, political ideas and lifestyle will differ across the globe. It is a more peaceful option to unite people that have similar ideals to avoid conflict.

However the formation of nation states in the 17th century can accuse borders of causing conflict. A nation state is a country that has formed its own distinct culture consisting of 1 particular ethnicity. Nationalism is born here and with the rise of this, things like racism and discrimination of such sort also emerge. In a nation state, cultural identity is often imposed through means of things like education. Global unity is reduced and national unity is encouraged leading to conflicts. When political borders are not created corresponding cultural and ethnic boundaries, the borders can mean nothing or cause dispute.

For example, when the Radcliffe line was formed demarcating India and Pakistan, the Chittagong hill tracts in Bengal were given to Pakistan despite having a 97% non-muslim population. As a result, a conflict rose.

Although there have been cases where the being of nation states has resulted in successful homogenous and rich culture. Bangladesh has Bengali people consisting of 98% of the population with the negligible quotient of Bihari people and other tribes. Bangladeshi society is linguistically and culturally homogenous as a result. In an ideal thought, if all nation states were to be successful and respecting, cultural identity and richness would be at its peak.

As established, national borders have come to have a complex role today. They are the reason life is easy for us in many ways and also the cause of grave issues like terrorism. Certain kinds of borders may be good for society however today we have moved beyond the simple idea of world peace with borders.

There is no denying however that borders can be beneficial. It is human nature to want to own and protect territory like any other animal. A tiger needs about 20 to 40 kilometers of its own territory. If any other tiger is seen in the territory of one, a conflict arises. They do however live in peace and maintain an ecological balance. This is a border of sorts and can be put in the context of humans. It is when that coexistence is disturbed that problems similar to those today are born and to move to a more peaceful future, this is the idea we must somehow adopt.