"Self-Determination: The Will of Nations"

One month ago, I returned from an eighteen day trip to the country of
Japan. Traveling with my parents, we witnessed and experienced many of the
best things the nation had to offer; stepping into a different world would
be an accurate description. The degree of fascination with Japanese culture
had been intense on my part from a young age, and visiting six major cities
along the island of Honshu was just enough to gain some small amount of
insight into the culture.

Throughout our stay my parents and I were obliged by locals to embody the
mindset of “honored guests”, something which the people of this ancient
culture insist upon…

One month ago, I returned from an eighteen day trip to the country of Japan. Traveling with my parents, we witnessed and experienced many of the best things the nation had to offer; stepping into a different world would be an accurate description. The degree of fascination with Japanese culture had been intense on my part from a young age, and visiting six major cities along the island of Honshu was just enough to gain some small amount of insight into the culture.

Throughout our stay my parents and I were obliged by locals to embody the mindset of “honored guests”, something which the people of this ancient culture insist upon, being a culture founded on tradition respect and honor. As honored guests, we in turn took it upon ourselves to repay our hosts with the same level of respect by either observing or partaking in their traditions and customs with reverence, grace and gratitude.

We may have had different upbringings, beliefs and traditions, but as visitors we understood that this was not out culture. It was not our country. It was not our nation. As foreigners, we were not there to change the way things were; we were there to passively experience something different. The Japanese respectfully demanded this of us, and we understandably and kindly obliged. 

Rarely, if ever, have I heard an individual in mainstream media or day-to-day interactions discuss how the country of Japan, or any other country for that matter, needs to conform to the ways and traditions of the country of the United States of America. Yet day in and day out, citizens of the U.S.A are bombarded with messages of how our nation needs to conform to the ways and traditions of other people, their cultures and countries values.

To this I say, “No thank you. We are America, and America we will stay.”

The foundation of a nation is not simply the appearance of the individuals who comprise it (although this factor is vastly underplayed in these modern times), but also the cultural values which bind those individuals together, allowing them to efficiently and cohesively strive onward towards the continued success of their homeland. Diversity is not an inherent strength; but a shared mindset and unified cultural values are.

The Japanese understood this when Emperor Meiji proclaimed the “Charter Oath in Five Articles” in 1868 when Japan was opened to the rest of the world. This charter was the guideline for building a new Japan in the new world; an effort to effectively engage in the political, cultural and social changes which were being thrust on Japan after nearly 200 years of complete isolation. At the core of this charter was the goal to preserve the culture of Japan as was desired by the people of the nation, while also joining the new and rapidly industrializing world. Japan and it’s people continue to hold this goal at the forefront of their hearts and minds while many Americans and Europeans have either forgotten the value of preserving your own culture or are actively attempting to undermine and destroy it.

National sovereignty and the right of the Nation, not the State, to have self-determination, will continue to exist as long as there are authentic, legitimate and loyal citizens alive to defend that natural right. Anyone who wants to be a part of any nation must come in legally, prove their worth, be naturalized, and integrate into that nation’s way of life.

My parents and I enjoyed our time in Japan very much and appreciated the welcoming we were given. We came in legally, proved our worth (spending money on tourism), spoke Japanese as best we could and did nothing to disrupt or alter the nation’s way or life. As citizens of our nation, the United States of America, we demand the same courtesy.

Nations must exist. This is the will of God:

”Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all nations of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” - Revelation 1:7

May God bless every sovereign nation with the right to self-determination.