one of my best friends is from Chernivci, and there are other friends from Moldova(different country that was Soviet Republic as well) that speak actually Romanian, and in my own extended family there is such lady who is Romanian. Not much value in that info-just was striked by the vastness/smallness of the world. Especially as I literally talked to that friend 5 min ago. Then I saw your post.
The rest-I've too many jumbled thoughts right now. But I appreciate you always posting something that makes me ..I don't know..a bit more ..ok when I find the word I'll know it. For now remains elusive.
Plumia sounds like a super interesting idea--thanks for introducing me to this! Seems like it could work well as a sort of visa consortium. I do wonder how many governments would realistically be willing to accept a digital nomad passport, though, especially from people who have no other citizenship...my guess is not many, at least in the near-mid future. But perhaps in time it will become normalized.
I don't see many governments accepting it yet, either, unless it becomes an elite passport that brings money into the country. However, that defeats the purpose of making bureaucracy more fair. Either way, it's an idea we should spread and discuss.
I've been talking (mostly with myself) for years about citizenship-as-membership, and have also made the prediction that, before long, a company will buy a country (I'd imagine that there are lots of companies that are worth more than some countries), perhaps in part to create a physical home for a largely placeless state, run as a business. Lovely how you wove this together with your personal history.
Thanks, Bowen. And I think there’s a solid argument to be made that “Our countries have been bought and sold a long time ago”-- as George Carlin put it.
Interesting, a modern challenge, for sure. Curious to see what solutions we can find to this, as it's clearly necessary in this (partially) borderless world. Political borders never made sense to me, I don't understand patriotism for a concept another human being invented or decided. We are all migrants in one way or another. Having a very optimistic outlook, such solutions might boost global peace - if we all can instantly reside anywhere else in the world, based on just a few criteria.
I agree. But, of course, bureaucracy is necessary in some cases. If we could all instantly reside anywhere, it would make it a lot easier for terrorist organizations and international criminality. Plus, borders are important to maintain linguistic and cultural heritage, but with how the system is now, the super-rich always have a loophole.
Sure, absolutely. It's a multi-layer, complex problem. I agree with and enjoy noticing cultural borders that surround heritage, language, sometimes blended with geography too. But those are often not the same as the political borders.
Thanks for the rerun, Nolan. I do it sometimes, too, because it gives my editorial staff a breather. And your story improved with age, or maybe my ability to appreciate and enjoy it improved with age.
Some countries actually employ Vogons as bureaucrats. I won’t say which ones, because I might want to return there someday. Moreover, I have a grudging respect for Vogon poetry, because it makes my own poetry only the third worst in the galaxy.
Great essay! Not just well written, but eye-opening. We complain about the bureaucracies of Portugal (and Spain), but this story truly shows how painful they can be!
one of my best friends is from Chernivci, and there are other friends from Moldova(different country that was Soviet Republic as well) that speak actually Romanian, and in my own extended family there is such lady who is Romanian. Not much value in that info-just was striked by the vastness/smallness of the world. Especially as I literally talked to that friend 5 min ago. Then I saw your post.
The rest-I've too many jumbled thoughts right now. But I appreciate you always posting something that makes me ..I don't know..a bit more ..ok when I find the word I'll know it. For now remains elusive.
Plumia sounds like a super interesting idea--thanks for introducing me to this! Seems like it could work well as a sort of visa consortium. I do wonder how many governments would realistically be willing to accept a digital nomad passport, though, especially from people who have no other citizenship...my guess is not many, at least in the near-mid future. But perhaps in time it will become normalized.
I don't see many governments accepting it yet, either, unless it becomes an elite passport that brings money into the country. However, that defeats the purpose of making bureaucracy more fair. Either way, it's an idea we should spread and discuss.
I've been talking (mostly with myself) for years about citizenship-as-membership, and have also made the prediction that, before long, a company will buy a country (I'd imagine that there are lots of companies that are worth more than some countries), perhaps in part to create a physical home for a largely placeless state, run as a business. Lovely how you wove this together with your personal history.
Thanks, Bowen. And I think there’s a solid argument to be made that “Our countries have been bought and sold a long time ago”-- as George Carlin put it.
Oh for sure, but we haven’t quite yet seen it happen explicitly. My bet is it’ll happen before 2040.
Interesting, a modern challenge, for sure. Curious to see what solutions we can find to this, as it's clearly necessary in this (partially) borderless world. Political borders never made sense to me, I don't understand patriotism for a concept another human being invented or decided. We are all migrants in one way or another. Having a very optimistic outlook, such solutions might boost global peace - if we all can instantly reside anywhere else in the world, based on just a few criteria.
I agree. But, of course, bureaucracy is necessary in some cases. If we could all instantly reside anywhere, it would make it a lot easier for terrorist organizations and international criminality. Plus, borders are important to maintain linguistic and cultural heritage, but with how the system is now, the super-rich always have a loophole.
Sure, absolutely. It's a multi-layer, complex problem. I agree with and enjoy noticing cultural borders that surround heritage, language, sometimes blended with geography too. But those are often not the same as the political borders.
Thanks for the rerun, Nolan. I do it sometimes, too, because it gives my editorial staff a breather. And your story improved with age, or maybe my ability to appreciate and enjoy it improved with age.
Some countries actually employ Vogons as bureaucrats. I won’t say which ones, because I might want to return there someday. Moreover, I have a grudging respect for Vogon poetry, because it makes my own poetry only the third worst in the galaxy.
Both of the bureaucracies your dealing with sound awful. I've heard the paperwork for getting a green card is also terrible.
Great essay! Not just well written, but eye-opening. We complain about the bureaucracies of Portugal (and Spain), but this story truly shows how painful they can be!
Thanks, Bruce!