Are you proud of being a citizen of your country? How do you show it?

Nope.

Australia has a lot to be ashamed of.

But I think nationalism is not always a healthy thing.

If we thought more about being good global citizens I think the world could become more functional and have fewer man-made disasters.

Forget that m'dear. I just read yesterday that the Nationalists are taking over in Germany. We know what the nationalist  agenda for the GOP prez wannabe is and all his supporters. I think nationalism is spreading like cancer and just like cancer there are so many types and the protocols are different for each that we shall never control it. It is what it is and what it is isn't pleasant to contemplate. In my opinion . We are all global citizens. It's just that many folks refuse to acknowledge it just as they refuse to acknowledge global warming is real and not a Liberal hoax or that Obama is a US citizen born in Hawaii and a Christian not a Muslim . You can't reason with a brick wall. There is no cognitive ability there at all. Thank you for your reply hartfire! :)

We are in complete agreement with that.

Many things happening in the world are disturbing and sad.

Apart from doing our tiny bits to try to be positive influences - butterflies batting wings - we can only try to make the most of the life we have now, and cherish it while we can.

I know.  Sometimes I'm hopeful but sometimes I kinda get down in the dumps about it hartfire. I hope it ends well m'dear. Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday!

If it's any help, Rosie, the world if full of an incredible amount of goodness too - it just doesn't get reported because it's not news - it's taken for granted.

Wishing you well, dear one.

Thank you hartfire. Thank you my friend. Now why is that hartfire?  Why are people so much more interested in the awful than the sublime?  Why do they buy gossip magazines and watch bull fights and boxing matches and slow down when they see an accident? Why is ugly more appealing than beautiful and gossip/lies more enjoyable than truth and facts? You are one smart cookie. Do you have a clue because I am at a loss to explain it. :) ((hugs))

Yes, Rosie, I am. You can see it on my avatar. Lol:)

If I wrote you a story about how two birds met, courted, built a nest, raised babies, grew old and died, you might find it interesting.

But if I wrote about how they struggled and fought to find a territory with good food, how the hen chose her cock, how they fought off predators and endured storms and droughts, and how the little fledglings nearly fell from the nest but caught the updraft just in time for their first flight to succeed - that story is probably going to be much more interesting.

If I add in how the nightingale sounds and how the heart soars upon hearing his lonely courtship call, his story starts to grab the attention. The joy, challenge, emotional connection or interest is in the detail. The vicarious sharing of that which is different from our own lives. The discovering and learning of other realms of truth in human experience.

The vicarious sharing of that which is different from our own lives; the discovering and learning of other realms of truth in human experience: these are a major part of what attracts us to one another.

Our lives are made of struggles, and because we are a social species we care about (and often learn from) the struggles of others.

Thank you for your reply hartfire. Do you read gossip magazines? Are you more interested in stories about scandals than in stories about overcoming hardship?. Do you find depraved/degrading stories more entertaining than those that are uplifting and hopeful? There is a very dark side to life filled with prostitutes and drug addicts and drunks and disease and crime. That seems to attrack a lot of people. It  is the why I shall never understand. I agree that detail fleshes out stories and makes them more interesting. That is not the issue. I prefer optimistic/positive/enhancing/encouraging to pessimistic/ negative/salacious and discouraging. But others prefer awful and I wonder why that is?

Indeedy do. I do! Thank you for your reply NP and Happy Sunday to thee! :)