“To forcefully set aside, divide, and distribute” was the definition of the word “division” when it was first coined in the 14th century. This word has evolved from a simple dictionary definition to a full-fledged political strategy, as our current leaders seek to construct additional walls to protect themselves rather than really resolving differences.

Borders do not have to be in the shape of a place or a piece of land to divide us; they can take many different forms, such as conflict, mass development of military weaponry, religion, policies, and so on.

As humanity continues to divide, as we get larger and larger, as we thrive, we chose to construct countries from territory we had acquired, and then we devised the idea of building walls to separate us from others. Since the 17th century, people have believed in the existence of borders. Due to our egocentric ancestors continuing warfare and colonization, we have been divided and controlled by borders.

Borders are still visible in today’s world, but to what extent are they genuinely beneficial to us? Are we truly safeguarded, or is this merely hysteria on the part of our country’s officials, who believe that bordering people are actually helpful? Isn’t it past time to let go of our obsession with borders, which separates societies, and work in a more realistic manner?

Open borders make things much easier and can simplify a lot of things, such as making supply chains more efficient by removing tariffs and quotas that can act as a trade barrier and harm a country’s relations or economic prosperity. Another good point is that it can reduce poverty by allowing people to migrate freely in the hopes of finding a job opportunity that will set them up and allow them to prosper. Furthermore, rather than reducing smuggling of illegal items, regulations will instead increase it significantly.

The European Union will be one of the best illustrations of how borderless countries can drive wealth. They’ve opened up trade and travel between the EU’s 27 member countries, and they’ve benefited all of them. The covid-19 pandemic can be used as an example of how the EU handled the situation so well, by correctly disseminating the vaccine among its members and claiming to have the fewest covid-19 cases.

With Britain’s exit from the European Union, they are now experiencing the consequences, such as supply chain disruption. Food is in low supply in the United Kingdom. Analysts also expect that the GDP will lose roughly 2% to 3% of its value.

Instead of fixing difficulties, the concept of borders prevents everyone from flourishing or reaching greater success. We should strive for a borderless future in which we have few to no constraints and can devise innovative solutions that do not require countries to draw borders on maps or on the ground.

By Shreyas Ghosh | DPS International Edge, Gurgaon, India