W4 - A World Without Borders

National Geographic (n.d.) declared that a national border is a line, either actual or imagined that divides grographical regions. It serves functions such as outlining the domain within the jurisdiction of a specific governing entitiy, A region's government is limted to enactinf and enforcing laws inside its boundaries (paras. 1 & 2). If there were no borders, it would be just like a mssive car traffic without traffic lights, dangerous and chaotic; however, this does not mean that only terrible things could happen.

    Firstly, there would be drastic changes happening within diverse cultures of multiple nations. Once the national border is abolished, the physical barriers between countries will disappear. People from different countries enjoyed the freedom to access other countries without spending time queuing up to bypass the national customs borders. Within years, the world will be achieving the mingling of multiple cultural exchanges. For instance, Germans are generally distant towards strangers; on the other hand, their neighbor country, the Czech Republic, is one of the friendliest countries in the world. With the cultural impact, both countries are more likely to influence each other to be either more distant or friendlier. This is because the vanishing of the borders allows them to have more interactions with each other that will subconsciously influence the behaviors, attitudes, and ideologies of different countries. 

Next, it can create a positive influence in pushing the economy of a country. Once the national border is demolished, countries linked together on land allow people to travel across countries to purchase and sell the items to generate income. Sellers and buyers can buy the items with a lower opportunity cost. By saving the time and extra processing fees to cross the national borderlines, sellers can maximize their profits while the buyers can minimize their extra effort and time to obtain the products that they need as complex procedures such as shipping time and costs are eliminated.

Despite the fact that national border cancellation sounds astonishing, there are still several concerning factors that should be taken into consideration. In the political field, the disappearance of national borders could result in political chaos. National borders sectionized a big segment into several parts which enabled regional or state governments to implement their laws respectively. Without national borders, message delivery might not be complete, clear, and successful. Ambiguity of message is one of the hindrances that will impact both citizens’ and governments’ satisfaction in living in that particular state.

Furthermore, abolishing borders will threaten individuals’ safety. Without national customs to validate and confirm people’s identity, it will consequently result in increasing crime rates, especially in identity impersonation or wanted criminals. This will put citizens’ lives at risk. Criminals can cross borders without hassle and alter their identities in different states and countries, making the arresting process even tougher for the police to track and arrest the criminals. Moreover, personal privacy violence is also a sensitive issue that needs to be paid attention to. The moment there is no physical barrier between nations and states, smugglers potentially will alter into another person or victim’s identity. Personal impersonation used to only occur online; however, if borders were abolished, this would drastically increase the chances of citizens’ identities being stolen or altered deliberately, regardless if it is for indecent or malicious purposes. 

In conclusion, borders exist for several vital reasons. Without borders, it is just like a double-sided blade, there are pros and cons for different individuals, communities, and countries. I would like to highlight the fact that laws might be static, but we can amend them to make them benefit more individuals and offer more job opportunities for humans on Earth that carry advantages to us in the future. 

References

National Geographic. (n.d.). Border. Education | National Geographic Society. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/border/