Recognising the true nature of the STATE

The individual citizen's relationship with the state is one of very unequal dependency. Essentially, the state has taken the place of our original tribe, which we evolved to feel some of our strongest emotions towards, of identity, commitment and loyalty.

Like most people, I grew up to identify with and be proud of my state, because that is what we are all behaviourally programmed and conditioned to do, it having taken the place, forcibly, of our original tribe, thereby laying false claim to the legitimacy of NATIONHOOD. 

Typical of family, most of us develop a love/hate relationship with the state, as some of us do with our parents. Unsurprisingly, since in many ways the relationship, especially in respect to power and unequal dependency, is very similar. Only the power of a parent is usually mediated by genuine love for their child and concern for its well-being, now and in the future.

The state, however, as a human-evolutionary perspective reveals, is not our natural (biological) parent, as it were, the legitimate heir of our original tribe, but an abusive imposter who doesn't really love or care for us at all, whose purpose has always been to facilitate society's self-exploitation, to the advantage of power and privilege. It just pretends to care for us (has created a whole mythology for the purpose), in pursuit of its hidden agenda. Elsewhere I've compared this with the love of a shepherd for his flock (notwithstanding any sincere concern he may have for a lost or injured lamb), which is not for the flock's sake, but for his own, and/or his employer's sake, for the meat and wool the flock provides and can be exchanged for money (the most versatile form of power) at market.

Most people love and identify with their state, just as a child loves and identifies with a parent, even an abusive one, not just because of their dependency (material and emotional), but also because they assume that the parent still loves and wants the best for them, which is usually true enough, added to which there is the natural, biological connection. As analogous as the relationships are, this does not, however, apply to the state, whose inherent primary concern is to facilitate its citizens' self-exploitation (not least, through capital and property rights). We owe it no love or loyalty whatsoever. Quite the contrary, the state uses our misplaced love and loyalty to facilitate our self-exploitation and ruin.

Some of his children he spoils, at the expense of the others, thus encouraging and exploiting sibling rivalry and dividing us amongst ourselves.

If we were not so (self)-deceived and divided, we could, over time, guided by self-love, wisdom and respect for others, make ourselves independent of this unnatural and abusive parent (or Auntie), and finally rid ourselves of them, along with the root cause of the existential problems (such as nuclear proliferation and unsustainable economic growth), which will otherwise soon put an end to our civilization.