ONE nation under God???

Along our path to discover individual identities, we, as human beings, dwell on the sense of belonging to a larger entity. You are not alone, so to speak. From Anderson’s perspective, this overwhelming passion to belong is linked to major outside forces (language, government, media diffusion). Although 25 years old, Anderson’s sophisticated theories continue to adapt and prevail in modern day society. These underlying factors continue to thrive and impact our individual collective imaginings, and furthermore provide indisputable bonds with people whom the ‘members’ never have met. September 11^th is a perfect example in which there was a real sense of nationalism brought together by real consequences and events.

It is terribly fascinating to attempt to grasp the certain ‘willingness to die for such limited imaginings’. The idea of an ‘imagined community’ which is both limited and sovereign seems ironic (but so does the title ‘Imagined Communities’!), but true. Not a single power can destroy something which cannot be defined, and no nation can encompass all therefore it is limited. Although this idea of separate nations is not at threat for complete abolishment, I feel it is threatened. The internet is ‘video’ which killed the geography-defined ‘radio star’. Because of the internet, the overlapping of ideas and information becomes an obstacle for people of a ‘nation’ to all be on the same page. Identities are no longer based on geographical loyalty. The idea of shared identities (based on nationalism) is faded because there are no geographical boundaries halting ideas/interests of others world-wide. And as far as language goes, not each nation bears its very own language. English is not kin just to the United States. Overlapping language is becoming less and less an outside force nurturing a nation.

All in all, this article provided a consistent brain boggler which forces the reader to question the idea and definition of a ‘nation’, as well as a sovereign nationalism.

WORD: I very much like the word ‘sovereign’, although have always based it’s definition by the context, not by a dictionary. There is a spunky little flow-hip hopper artist named lady sovereign, and she constantly feels the need to sing about how ‘bad-ass’ she is…so judging by the definition, the name compliments her to a ‘t’.

sov⋅er⋅eignv-/

–noun

1.	a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.

2.	a person who has sovereign power or authority.

3.	a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.

4.	a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.

–adjective

5.	belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereignty; royal.

6.	having supreme rank, power, or authority.

7.	supreme; preeminent; indisputable: a sovereign right.

8.	greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.

9.	being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.

10.	efficacious; potent: a sovereign remedy.