Very good post.

I wish less people would care whether a person was Russian or Ukranian. They are all people and I doubt very many Russians and Ukranians are frothing warmongers.

Unfortunately without a common goal, the species is stagnant. It seems social Darwinism is the driver of innovation at this time. Each nation an organism competing for resources to survive. In each nation, the privileged have the time, training, resources, and protection to make the innovations, while those at the bottom make the bodily sacrifice to keep the other competing organisms at bay.