[MasterfulButch]

I’m English and for various reasons I’ve had cause to ponder this question myself with a particular emphasis on comparison between Britain, Canada and the States. I believe all three countries have many things to be proud of but also many which could be improved.

From my perspective, comparing Britain to Canada or the States is like comparing someone in their fifties to someone in their twenties. As a general trend, the twenty year old is much more energetic and is just starting to settle into their own skin. There’s a massive sense of potential and a youthful sense of entitlement that the world is out there for them to discover, that it’s the backdrop for them to turn their dreams into a reality, whether that be personal wealth, meaningful social change or anything else. The twenty year old wants to shout to the world to look out because they’re coming.

The stereotypical character in their fifties is much more reserved. They’ve had more life experience and know that everything can be taken away from you in a second. They know that you have to be prepared to let go of some dreams in order to pursue others and that life is never as black and white as they once imagined. They have had years of having to live with things they wish they’d never done. They are less likely to make proclamations to the world, knowing that deeds, rather than words, are what counts.

Just like a balanced society needs people of all age groups, I think the world needs different cultural approaches like these. The blend makes for a stronger global community and the contrasts can act as a catalyst for growth for nations. To the British, the American inclination to laud themselves can appear arrogant and unappealing. It can undermine their position in the perceptions of others too as usually the better someone is at something, the less they feel the need to tell everyone just how good they are.

At the same time, the British reserve can appear cold and potentially weakens our society where the Americans are united in their open pride. I think both the Americans and Canadians are likely to have a more cohesive society, especially in these times of increasing immigration, because no matter what other differences exist between their citizens, they are united in that strong sense of national pride. Anything that serves to bring people together, to give them a sense of belonging and responsibility to a community is one which is likely to strengthen that group to the benefit of all.

To me, there are no "best" countries but I would particularly celebrate those where the citizens have a strong sense of national pride yet enough humility to look within to seek improvement, conscious that they are a part of a larger whole. Irrelevant of flags, that is the sort of culture I hope will shape our global evolution.