LET'S TALK ABOUT: COSMOPOLITANISM

Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash

Is it crazy to believe that, no matter where in the world a person is arbitrarily born, all people are equal and deserve the same level of opportunity, respect, and love? If that's crazy then I must be bloomin' bonkers. 

We are one human race. Nobody is more worthy of any benefit in life than anyone else based purely on the place that they were born – it is pure luck that I was born and raised in a country where opportunities lay around every corner, waiting to jump out at you. I could just have easily been born in a war-torn country where education is a myth, fighting for my life every single day. Why should being born in the second scenario mean that I am not entitled to help from a nation with far more resources than my own?

Holding this cosmopolitan philosophical belief does not mean that I am blind to the alternative point of view. 
I completely appreciate the 'our people first' argument that is always raised in these kinds of debates. 

"Why should we help non-UK citizens when there are so many homeless on our streets?" 
"Why should we help non-UK citizens when so many of us are unemployed and struggling to find work?" 
"Why should we help non-UK citizens first?"

I do believe that we should help people from our own country. Despite the advantage of being born in a wealthy, prosperous country, there are still far too many of us that live below the breadline. Anybody in dire need is, of course, worthy of aid, but I believe that the same principle applies no matter your nationality. 

I acknowledge my privilege; I am incredibly lucky to have been born into a flourishing society as well as into a happy family and I will endeavour to use that privilege to help out those who weren't quite so lucky. If person A is living in the same state of poverty as person B, what does it matter where each person was born? They are both citizens of the world. We are all citizens of the world. As Jack Harries once so eloquently said, "When the temperatures increase, the sea levels rise and the oceans flood, walls, border and nationalities will bare no importance. We will just be one race, living on one piece of rock and struggling for survival".

This may be a very 'unpopular' opinion but I wanted to write something to express a point of view that I hold close to my heart. What's your take on this whole debate? Is it similar to mine or do you sit on the other side of the fence? I'm genuinely interested to know – it's all love here so all views are welcome!