Take a step back and it’s a no-brainer: If you want a healthy society, you need a spirit of unity. As we saw in London during the Blitz – often romanticised for its fabled ability to ‘pull together’ – if citizens feel they are part of a national family, they can maintain their morale even in the face of great adversity.
The same is true in modern times. It must surely be the case that, the more people feel a meaningful part of a nation, the less alienation, disenfranchisement, discrimination and resentment there will be. Deaths of despair from drug abuse or suicide will reduce, as will poverty, depression and family breakdown. Productivity, optimism and wellbeing will increase.
Different countries have different historical and demographic challenges, but from South Korea – where researchers found that ‘national pride is positively associated with happiness’ – to our own shores, where the Office for National Statistics concluded that ‘perceptions of unity within Britain are associated with higher average life satisfaction, happiness and feelings that things done in life are worthwhile’, strong social bonds are essential to the health of the body politic.
The willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good of the country is instilled in Israelis from a young age
Let’s talk, then, about national service.
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