A nation is not a business. A nation is a haven for human souls.

A nation is the physical manifestation of a constellation of human ideals.



Nations exist for the sake of the people in them. They serve no purpose if they cannot improve the lot of the average citizen or there is no shared understanding of what the nation is all about. Nations provide a sanctuary within which human beings can realise their potential, in the company and safety of like-minded humans, where shared values can work in unison for the betterment of all. Human beings need nations to rise above their individualism and make common cause with those who share their values. Nations are places where beliefs are tested and the best way forward is decided on collectively, as far as possible by consensus, and as far as possible by consent.



Nations are not places where selected segments of the populace are sold down the river like bits of scrap metal so that rich people can get richer. Nations are not places where individual's dreams are forgotten or purposefully crushed because they aren't part of the business model. Nations are not places where human beings are less important than the bank balance.



Ideals are not things that should be treated like materials in a factory, products to be marketed, workstreams to be "streamlined", assets to be spent or hoarded or conceptual models to be updated, repurposed or made redundant. Ideals that are treated in this fashion are no longer ideals, but mere ideas, ideas thrown into a psychological garbage disposal unit and spat out at the end to see which one got the least screwed so that it can be sold.



Businesses have nothing to do with nations. They have nothing to do with ideals. Businesses are about counting. Counting things, counting money, counting time, counting, counting, counting.



Even the Romans understood that money existed for the betterment of humans, and not the other way round.



Mitt Romney does not believe in anything. He has no understanding of the necessity for human beings to have lives beyond the trivial time consumption of work, to have succeses beyond the trivial mathematics of a rich man's bank balance or the necessity for human beings to feel that their lives are meaningful, that their time on this world matters. This is perfectly clear from every single thing he has ever said.



If Mitt Romney wants to run a business, why isn't he running a business? 41 Tweet