THE CENTRAL ISSUE OR QUESTION

Warfare is not based on an "instinct of self-preservation." What is being preserved when human beings wage war are not individual human beings, but a “country,” an abstract idea. So the question remains: what is the meaning of this object that we call a nation? Why does it attract such allegiance and gain such power over the hearts and minds of human beings? Strangely, these questions are rarely posed. Perhaps this is because “nations” have such a hold on us. We are held in thrall by these objects, which permeate reality. What is the nature of the hold that "countries" have over us?