Let’s get this out of the way: Borders are BS.
They’re imaginary lines drawn by dead men in wigs and kept alive by people in fear. They exist on maps but not in the hearts of the evolved.
And yet, we worship them like holy commandments. We let them define who gets access to safety, love, wealth, healthcare, and freedom.
Let’s break the spell.
A borderless world isn’t just a utopian ideal whispered by John Lennon and the Federation in Star Trek—it’s a data-backed, spiritually aligned, economically smart direction for humanity.
And yes… It’s the opposite of what Trump is trying to do to the world.
I started reflecting on this post today while at Singularity University in Silicon Valley, attending a dinner with fellow execs and tackling a very unique dinner table conversation.
On our table was a conversation starter card that made the nerd in me light up:
What can business leaders learn from the original Star Trek series?
My response to the question?
Let’s slowly dismantle borders. Bit by bit.
Let me explain.
Why do we believe in borders?
Ready for an entertaining ride on why we might want to reconsider how we tie our identities (and our mental models of how we understand others) to these imaginary lines? Buckle up.
In my book The Code of the Extraordinary Mind, I use a term called brules (short for bullsh*t rules) to describe useless laws and rules we humans still cling to in simplistic attempts to make sense of a complex world. The idea of borders is one of the biggest brules out there.
We worry about immigrants flooding into our civilized countries and raising crime rates.
We fear that refugees will leech off public funds and allow their exotic but alien cultures to taint our pristine way of life.
We worry that our ways will be replaced by people with a different skin color or who worship God based on a different ancient text.
In short: we fear.
But is this fear irrational?
Turns out, in a study of how much we truly understand the world—conducted by Swedish social scientist Hans Rosling—we’re basically clueless.
We have what’s called a negative bias toward the world. And these three facts show just how wide the gap is between reality and perception.
So I want you to do this quiz with me. Real quick. Answer these three questions:
- What percentage of the world lives in poverty today?
- What percentage of the world population now lives in a country other than their country of birth?
- What’s the birth rate per woman outside the Western world?
Got your answers down? Okay, now let’s check your score.
Three beliefs that fuel the fear of “a borderless world”
1. The myth of global poverty
In a 2018 study asking 32,000 people from 26 countries whether world poverty had increased or decreased over the prior 20 years, only 2% got it right.
The truth? Global poverty dropped from 40% in 1980 to under 9% today.
We’re living through the greatest poverty reduction in human history—and hardly anyone knows.
I was sitting in an Uber in Tallinn just a few months ago when the driver asked, “You’re of Indian origin, correct?”
I said, “Yes.”
He then proceeded to say, “Indian. Such friendly people. Pity your country is so poor. People suffer so much. Ah, the poverty. Very bad. Very bad.”
What my European Uber driver failed to understand was this:
Poverty rates in India have fallen so sharply that today, only 2% of Indian households live on under $2/day—the global measure for extreme poverty.
Poverty is falling globally. But if Westerners think the world is swarming with starving, poor, decrepit souls seeking better chances… you’re going to shut your borders tight.
2. The myth of migration
According to Rosling’s data in Factfulness, only 3.4% of the global population lives outside the country they were born in.
That means 96.6% of humanity stays put. Most people want to stay home—they just want the opportunity to thrive while doing so.
Contrary to popular belief, millions of people aren’t trying to sneak into your rich country. They’re busy making life better and better in their own.
India, China, the Middle East —all are experiencing tremendous bursts in quality of life and GDP. And fewer and fewer of them care about the “American Dream”.
3. The myth of “baby machines”
It’s common in the West to assume that people in India and the Muslim world have truckloads of kids. And if you let “those people” into your country—oh no! Prepare to be replaced.
Turns out this is far from true.
Today, the global average fertility rate is 2.1—exactly at replacement level.
And shockingly, this includes countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
Let me repeat that: Westerners and non-Westerners are both barely having children… at replacement level.
The exception? 9% still living in extreme poverty. When your child has a high chance of dying before age 5, you procreate more.
So why are Westerners so wrong?
Simple: right-wing politics in the US and Europe thrive on fear.
The most useful fear? The fear of the other.
Western media is designed to make its citizens fearful, insular, and… let’s be honest—proudly ignorant.
Let’s rewind…
The American border crisis was manufactured
Hear me out for a moment…
The U.S.-Mexico border is one of the most emotionally charged political issues in America today. But what if the “crisis” dominating headlines was, in fact, a problem created by the very people who claim to be solving it?
Back in the 1980s, America didn’t have a border wall—and didn’t need one.
Mexicans would cross over, work as day laborers, and then return home.
There was even a term for it: rotating door migration.
During the 1980 Republican presidential primary debate in Houston, Texas, on April 23, 1980, candidates Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush engaged in a surprisingly humane exchange about immigration—particularly concerning undocumented immigrants. Both emphasized compassion and practicality.
George H.W. Bush said:
“These are good people, strong people. Part of my family is Mexican.”
Ronald Reagan added:
“Rather than talking about putting up a fence, why don’t we work out some recognition of our mutual problems, make it possible for them to come here legally with a work permit?”
Imagine that. Reagan, patron saint of modern conservatism, advocated for migrant workers—not demonizing them.
He didn’t see immigrants as threats. He saw them as neighbors.
He believed in circular migration—that workers could come to the U.S. temporarily, contribute, and return home without being criminalized. No walls. No mass deportations. Just legal, respectful cooperation.
But something changed.
What changed? The politics of “control”
By the mid-1980s, immigration had become a political lightning rod. The economy was under strain. Unemployment was up. And the media narrative started shifting from “hardworking migrants” to “illegal invaders.”
Even though Reagan held personal compassion, he faced growing pressure from within his own party to “restore control.”
So in 1986, Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)—a sweeping law that did two things:
- Legalized about 3 million undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
- Criminalized hiring undocumented workers and increased border enforcement.
Reagan called it a “humanitarian” measure. And in many ways, it was.
But it came with a price.
The unintended consequence: From circular to permanent migration
Before IRCA, Mexican workers would come seasonally—they’d work for months, then return to Mexico. It was a rotating door.
But after IRCA’s enforcement kicked in—especially employer sanctions and increased militarization of the border—crossing became riskier, costlier, and far more dangerous.
So what happened?
Migrants stopped going back. They brought their families and settled permanently.
The very enforcement meant to “control” immigration actually cemented it.
Sociologist Douglas Massey put it best:
“We transformed a circular flow of male workers into a settled population of families.”
So Reagan’s legacy is complicated.
He wanted openness and dignity. But in trying to appease both sides, he set in motion the very crisis the right wing would later weaponize.
Fast forward 30 years.
The GOP has gone from Reagan’s “Let’s work together with our neighbors” to Trump’s “Build the wall.”
From compassion… to cruelty.
From policy… to panic.
From work permits… to cages.
Reagan wasn’t perfect. But he never wanted a wall. He didn’t dream of bans and raids. He believed immigrants made America stronger.
What changed?
Fear won.
Fast forward to today:
Right-wing politicians have mastered this fear-based playbook.
Enter Trump. Enter JD Vance. Enter tariffs, bans, walls, and panic.
All built on useful myths.
The real stats: Illegal immigrants are not the problem
Contrary to campaign soundbites:
- Illegal immigrants do not commit more crime.
- They’re not causing rape waves.
- And most of those horror stories? Fabricated. Recycled political fiction.
Now, here’s a dose of reality:
Each year, undocumented immigrants in the U.S. contribute over $10,000 in taxes per household, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That’s more than some citizens pay—and they do it while being ineligible for most public benefits.
They pay income taxes, property taxes (through rent), sales taxes, and Social Security—even though they’ll likely never see a dime of it in return.
So again—who’s really freeloading?
Americans are good, kind people. They get this. Even many who voted for Trump—when presented with the realities undocumented families face—respond with empathy. In fact, when asked about what should happen to undocumented immigrants already in the U.S., 70% of Americans said they preferred a pathway to citizenship over deportation. But at political action rallies? We see the dark side. (Some politicians bring out the worst in us.)
We’ve built a mythos around the “drain on the system” when, in fact, they are helping keep the system afloat—from farming to food service, from childcare to construction.
And let’s be honest: if you live in the U.S. and enjoy affordable strawberries in winter, a clean hotel room, or a well-maintained garden, you’re already benefiting from undocumented labor.
The fear machine reloaded: Trump’s tariffs and global poverty
And now, fear takes another form: economic warfare dressed up as patriotism.
Trump’s tariffs weren’t a strategy. They were a tantrum—one that tanked the stock market, raised consumer prices, disrupted global supply chains, and risked plunging the world into disconnection and poverty.
Why?
Because American voters fell for it. (Again. Sigh.)
These weren’t smart, tactical moves to protect American jobs. They were emotionally charged, fear-fueled maneuvers designed to punish an imaginary enemy called “everyone else.”
The result? Tariffs that cost the average U.S. household $400–$500 a year in added expenses. Billions in lost business. And a breakdown in trust with global trading partners.
Borders—which were being gently dissolved by global trade and digital collaboration—are rearing their ugly heads again.
And it’s hurting everyone.
Which brings us to the trillion-dollar question—the one that could redefine the future of our species if we’re brave enough to answer it honestly…
What happens if we erase borders?
According to economist Michael Clemens, global GDP could double.
That’s not a typo. Double.
Because when people are free to move to where their talents are most needed, productivity soars. Innovation spreads. Opportunity multiplies.
And some economists take it even further: some models estimate global GDP could grow by up to 147% if we opened borders worldwide.
That’s not just a bigger pie. That’s a whole new global bakery franchise.
Borders trap potential.
They lock brilliant minds and strong hands in environments where their contributions are stunted.
But when we unlock that movement—
We don’t just help migrants. We lift everyone.
It’s the closest thing humanity has to a cheat code for prosperity.
So, what’s stopping us?
Fear. Again. But we’ve already seen what fear costs.
Now imagine what courage could gain.
Star Trek: The federation of us
In Star Trek canon, Earth unifies in the year 2150—just 125 years from now. And soon after, it joins the United Federation of Planets.
No more nations. No more borders. Just one species, one mission: to boldly go where no one has gone before.
The Federation isn’t just science fiction.
It’s a map. A metaphor. A model.
At the heart of this galactic alliance lies a Vulcan philosophy: IDIC—Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.
The idea? That every culture, every perspective, and every being—no matter how strange or different—adds richness to the whole.
That diversity isn’t something to tolerate. It’s something to celebrate.
That’s not just fantasy—it’s the future we’re capable of creating.
In a way, the Starship Enterprise wasn’t just a ship. It was Earth, evolved. A planetary crew navigating the galaxy with wisdom, inclusion, and curiosity as their compass.
And maybe—just maybe—it’s a glimpse of who we’re meant to become.
Not someday. But soon.
Because the Federation already exists in pieces: in our shared values, our intercontinental friendships, and the billions of us who already see ourselves not just as citizens of nations but as humans of Earth.
And it’s already starting to happen.
Schengen: The real-world federation
Want proof that borderless living isn’t just sci-fi? Look at the Schengen Zone in Europe.
Every single day, 3.5 million people cross internal EU borders without showing a passport. No barbed wire. No interrogations. No identity theater.
I once road-tripped with my kids from Belgium to the Netherlands to Luxembourg to Germany to France—all in the span of 8 days by car. Not a single checkpoint. Not a single customs agent. Even my European SIM card worked seamlessly across countries. Not even a roaming fee to annoy me.
This is what happens when countries collaborate instead of compete.
Now contrast that with post-Brexit Britain:
- British families now face long lines at EU airports.
- They need visas to work abroad.
- Their economy? Shrinking.
UK households are now losing £1,300 a year in income due to reduced trade and investment.
If the average Brit who voted for Brexit had known their holiday in Spain would come with longer queues and a lighter wallet, would they have still voted for it?
Probably not.
The entire thing was built on a lie.
A lie stoked by—yes, again—right-wing politicians who used the fear of “others” to harvest votes.
And now, it’s the everyday people paying the price.
Dubai: A case for openness
If there’s a real-world prototype of Star Trek’s United Federation of Planets, it’s Dubai.
The Emiratis make up only about 8% of the population. The rest? A swirling dance of humans from every continent—working, co-creating, and building a future together.
Crime? Lower than most major Western cities.
Cultural erosion? Nope. Emirati identity isn’t just intact—it’s celebrated, respected, and globally influential.
Economy? Absolutely booming.
Dubai consistently ranks among the top 10 safest cities in the world, beating out cities like London, Paris, and New York. So much for “diversity brings danger.”
While much of Europe is aging, shrinking, and clenching its borders like a scared fist, the UAE opened its doors—and opened its future.
This isn’t an anomaly. It’s a blueprint.
I’ve made Dubai my home, and more and more of my friends, co-workers, and many Mindvalley authors are now moving there. Openness simply works!
Darwin was right: Evolve or die
In 1872, Charles Darwin wrote one of the most prescient paragraphs I’ve ever read in any book. In The Descent of Man, he wrote:
“As man advances in civilisation, and small tribes are united into larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend his social instincts and sympathies to all the members of the same nation… Once this point is reached, there is only an artificial barrier to prevent his sympathies extending to the men of all nations and races.”
Darwin didn’t just predict evolution.
He predicted the European Union.
He didn’t just see where we came from.
He saw our future.
He saw that empathy expands with civilization.
That artificial barriers—like borders—block our most evolved instinct: sympathy.
And what did the British people do with that legacy?
They voted for Brexit.
Yes, Charles Darwin—voted one of the greatest Britons of all time—was spiritually slapped in the face by a nation that let fear rewrite its future.
As Professor Scott Galloway put it:
“Brexit is the greatest act of national self-sabotage since America invaded Iraq.”
Side note: Trump’s tariffs may prove to be an even greater—and dumber—act of self-sabotage.
Why I wrote this (and why I carry 5 residencies)
As an entrepreneur who’s created jobs across four continents, let me give you a real-world example of how fear-driven bureaucracy plays out:
- It took me two days to get residency in the UAE.
- It took me 419 pages of documentation and months to get the same in the United States.
- It’s taken me nearly a year (and counting) to secure residency in London, just so I can be present for my daughter, who is enrolling in school there.
This isn’t about the immigration “process.” This is about paranoia disguised as policy.
These outdated systems were designed for a world that no longer exists—a world run on fear, not facts.
I’ve lived on multiple continents. I’ve created jobs in countries that won’t give me citizenship. I’ve contributed millions to economies where I still get treated like an outsider.
And I know I’m not alone. This is the daily reality for millions of people like me: global citizens trapped by 20th-century paperwork.
This isn’t about process—it’s about paranoia.
These bureaucracies are relics of a world run by fear, not facts.
The Earth flag I fly
That’s why the only flag I’ll ever truly fly is the Earth Flag.
Designed by Swedish artist Oskar Pernefeldt, it features seven interlocking white rings on a deep blue background—symbolizing the unity of continents and all life on Earth.
It’s an amazing idea worth following. I simply don’t believe in the idea of countries anymore. I love the USA, Estonia, Malaysia, the UAE – all the countries that I’ve called home. But I choose to see myself as a citizen of Earth first.
And if this idea resonates, follow the Earth Flag on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/flagofplanetearth
So… What now?
Let’s recap:
- Borders are fiction.
- Fear is the author.
- And the future belongs to those who can imagine beyond the lines.
It’s time to:
- Stop letting fear choose your leaders.
- Demand policies rooted in facts, not fiction.
- Stop voting for anyone who says ‘tariffs,’ ‘border wall,’ or ‘migrant invasion.’ They don’t have a vision. They have a marketing plan.
- Choose Earth. Choose openness. Choose evolution.
Because the greatest wall we need to tear down… is the one in our minds.
And on the other side?
The next version of humanity.
One world. One people. No borders.
Only horizons.
If you believe in a future without borders, speak up. Share this with your friends.
If this newsletter is shared with you and you would like to get more such content in your inbox, subscribe to Weekly by Vishen.
Follow the Earth Flag. Leave a Comment. And help build the world our children deserve to inherit.
136 Responses
Thanks for sharing your thoughts folks
Vishen,
I’m slightly new to Mindvalley, and not so new in age. I find your idea intriguing and definitely worth working towards.
For the last 9 years I’ve lived in Texas, having moved from Humboldt County in northern California by the border of Oregon, And I grew up mostly in Southern California until my family and I moved in 2003 to Northern California. I share this because all three places have different cultures. I’m 63 years old and now have lived long enough to feel my life has enough history to give me certain Perspectives that I would not have otherwise had, say, when I was 18 or 20.
Even just moving around in the United States and visiting many different states, all enlighten me to different valuable, cultural characteristics In the United States alone.
Most people when they first meet me pick me out completely as a southern California girl, And when I moved to Northern California, especially in Humboldt County, where drugs play such a huge role in the economy and the deprivation of the society, And then to Texas, the Republican enclave, I’ve experienced all the subtle nuances of differences just between the border of states. I have not traveled extensively in Europe, but I did live for three months in the Bahamas and have been to England. So, In essence, these experiences of my life make up the conclusions that I come to, Much like your experiences of living in so many places and experiencing so many people create your ideas. I should include here that in my high school years I attended an international high school where I was exposed to many cultures and ideas and beautiful, beautiful people who I still love and value greatly in my life. Perhaps it was my high school experience that allow me to not be particularly xenophobic about cultures and differences.
Since moving to Texas, I have worked in the landscaping industry, and I have worked with many of the people who cross the borders legally and illegally I’ve had to deal with the question of if they have a Social Security number and I know it’s false, do deny them the opportunity of employment or do I employ them and let Social Security deal with them?
Inquiring guidance of how the owner of the company I worked for wished for it to be dealt with, he chose to let Social Security deal with it which of course nothing happened.
I know the value that immigrants bring to the United States and primarily to its workforce where I know that white Anglo-Saxons choose not to do the type of work that I hire these men for. Most of the Caucasian population within this Career are in management positions. rarely do People who do the Back breaking, sweat of brow work, Are the people who are most underpaid and have little chance at advancement.
In order to keep this somewhat short, although it is a fascinating conversation and requires much conversation and thought, The one fallacy that I find is that the premise that you come from is that all people can monitor their own morality and their own self conscience rules them in a righteous fashion I do have an early childhood education certificate, and I know that there’s a philosopher who has discussed this idea I will say, if that was true that we all had the proper moral compass to guide us in proper decisions, Borderless society would be a much greater possibility.
Remember, even in Star Trek, there are borders in space you did not want to go into the Klingon territory. The Klingons and the Borg were cultures and species that were not to be dealt with because they were so dangerous.
I do appreciate your utopian ideas about Dubai, but I also know that I have very close friends who spent 12 years living in Dubai, raising their family and being a leader for his church . He explained to me that the reason the crime is so low is because the police there are given so much latitude in how they deal with crime, and the officers own perception of what is acceptable in appearance and social behavior. There are cameras everywhere, and big brother is watching and taking action. He told me that police officers there can bring home your son if they feel he needs a haircut. Women are still under privileged, requiring male supervision, permission for shopping, travel, Dress, Socialization, etc. So you’ve chosen to live in a beautiful place with many different cultures, melting in to one conglomerate, however, under the surface of that society there are excessively restrictive practices. He worked with many people who were lured By promises of good jobs and great wages only to find when they got there that they were abused mistreated and underpaid, And unable to return home after they were so disillusioned. Many times he needed to use church funds to send people home and there were constant issues regarding visas and the cost associated with straightening out problems. So please paint it An honest picture of each society.
Trump and the tariffs and the stock market and all that has happened recently I do believe was planned by a very evil segment of our society. The people who could most afford to sell off and can now go back and invest in profit, pulled off a lot of the stock market problem. There is a problem here in the United States, with an evil segment, trying to cause panic and fear, And it’s not Trump. What he is doing with tariffs needed to be done many years ago. You can go to YouTube and see all the clips of all the different presidents who were not courageous enough nor truly committed to America being properly treated regarding tariffs, To fix the Tariff issues. The last time we chose to fight tariffs in this magnitude there was a war with Britain and we broke from colonialism and became the United States of America.
So much to think about….
I don’t think it will ever happen in my lifetime but Certainly, as we venture out into space farther and attain a real possibility of living in space or on other planets, these things will have to be addressed. Possibly, some of the borders Within our world will have been erased.
Regards,
Lesley Stehman
Thank you for your sane and inspiring article. Let’s begin!❤️
This is a cause I’ve been advocating for years which is deeply related to my meaning and purpose in life.
I’d willing and truly give my life for LIBERTY , to live in a FREE MOVEMENT WORLD 🌍 If birds can fly the skies and turtles 🐢 navigate 🧭 the oceans 🌊 why can not we as human beings freely move on our beautiful earth 🌏?
We all come from EARTH ! Our ancestry and roots are nomadic.
As a trained Economist I know that a free movement world 🌎 would enable a faster convergence towards love ❤️
That’s very real and another awakening thoughtful arrival just like your Milo video. You have clearly mentioned the problem , it’s politics, they divided us so that they could rule us. Creating fear in our minds is the basic trick . One more thing is very important, we build our thought process with checking out facts , which create problem and scared us. Borderless world is the best concept. We all have right to enjoy this life on earth. For this big change … We all need to change our own self , coming out of our own perception to a perspective.
It’s the first step. I think if we live borderless that would be a better world. Where people have equal opportunity, better life.
Yes Yes Yes! I felt full body chills upon reading your words.
I recall many years ago queueing with my passport to take the Eurostar and noticing a gentlemen who had been taken to the side for some complication with his paper. I recall thinking how absurd it was that due to my birth family and their inclination to follow up on paperwork… I was free to travel from A to B and this man was not. What differentiated us? This random roll of dice upon our time and location of birth.
I have my hand raised and waving in the air to participate in this borderless movement. Count me all-in.
Yes! I have had the same idea for a while now. Thank you for putting it into writings. And please let’s start by erasing the word “illegal” in the context of human beings.
This is what I really really would like to see in my lifetime. No borders whatsoever. Technically travelers do kind of embody some version of this borderless world and most natives welcome them and are hospitable to them. Humans simply were not meant to fight one another. It’s painful and ingrained in us to NOT harm others. For me this idea has always been what I wanted. I was born in one country, raised in another. I have had the hardest time to discover my identity, my values,my roots. So I can say today that I’m a foreigner in my own country (country whose citizenship I have due to my father’s descent) and yet I feel at home in a foreign country (country where I was born in).
Hi Vishen,
Your article, “A Case for a Borderless World,” struck a chord with me. It’s rare to see such a clear-eyed take on migration, and I felt compelled to share my reflections and build on your insights.
Migration is often misunderstood, tangled in fear and misinformation. You nailed it: borders are imaginary lines, propped up by outdated beliefs, not practical realities. The real challenge isn’t crossing them—it’s navigating the fragmented, inefficient systems that control who gets to move and who doesn’t.
That’s where “smart open borders” come in. It’s not about chaos—it’s about structure, humanity, and collaboration. Migrants are too often painted as burdens or threats, but the truth is, they’re solutions to labor shortages, skill gaps, and demographic challenges. They bring innovation and investment. The fear-based narratives just don’t hold up.
Migration is political, no doubt—policies are shaped by nations, and those policies often reflect inconsistent, fear-driven standards. It’s more possible for the wealthy or recognized refugees to cross borders, while others face a maze of hurdles. But migration is also deeply human. People move not just from necessity but from aspiration. Empowering migrants could spark a global movement, turning migration from a perceived threat into a shared opportunity for growth. Countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States ( to name a few) prove that embracing diversity fuels resilience and innovation. Yet fear still shapes policies, holding us back.
As a migrant and entrepreneur, this hits close to home. When systems are broken, entrepreneurs don’t just comment—we build. That’s why I founded BorderHub.ai. ( please don’t take it as a pitch )—it’s a response to a flawed system.
We’ve been told that where we’re born defines where we belong. That’s nonsense. People are defined by potential, not geography. Migration isn’t about fleeing—it’s about moving toward opportunity, toward alignment, and personal fulfillment.
The “American Dream” is iconic, but today, people seek a “DestiNation Dream”—the freedom to find the country that fits their values and ambitions. At BorderHub.ai, our “DestiNation Manifesto” reimagines migration as a strategic, values-driven choice. It’s about matching people with places where their skills and dreams are valued. Migration should be about who you are and what you bring, not where you’re from. That means recognizing qualifications and experience, no matter where they were earned. Too many migrants face needless barriers—unrecognized credentials, fragmented systems, and blind spots that hurt everyone. A better system would fix that, restoring fairness and clarity.
Your article reminds us that ideas alone don’t change minds—people need proof, and theory needs to meet reality That’s why entrepreneurs must lead by building systems that work.
Through BorderHub.ai, I’m committed to proving that where others see borders, we create opportunities—building a migration system that’s smarter, more effective, and driven by human potential.
Nelson Mandela said it best: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Thank you for starting this dialogue.
It’s a powerful reminder that the only real borders are the ones we impose on ourselves.
This makes me feel more confident as migrant living in Uk
This article is so rife with fallacious and over-simplified talking points, it’s hard to know where to begin. One of the first false premises repeated throughout the piece is the allegation that the so-called right in America is anti-immigration. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, there may be fringe elements in American society that harbors deep fear or mistrust of “others” and these minority viewpoints can be found amongst people of all ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. However, the vast majority of Americans from both sides of the current political divide are inclined to be respectful and considerate towards people from all parts of the globe who immigrate to this country. They don’t seek to keep people out. Their only concern is that the people they welcome into their communities basically share the same values and aspirations for a better life for themselves and their families as they do. No sensible person would want to invite socially disruptive elements into their communities. For the safety and well-being of all the members of a society, there must be a screening process of some sort. We know that the shared values held by members of any society evolve over time but those changes are best accommodated when they occur gradually at a natural pace that is concurrent with broader influences like improvements in health, technology, education, prosperity, and interpersonal communication that contribute to the development of more judicious legal frameworks aimed at ensuring social stability while fostering social enlightenment and ultimately the positive evolution of human civilization. None of these higher ideals are well-served by chaotic upheaval brought about by the revolutionary actions of certain impatient members of society who arrogate to themselves the right to determine what is best for their fellow human beings and to circumvent the natural pace of social evolution in order to bring about the immediate and usually violently disruptive social changes they deem necessary.
The raising of humanity’s collective consciousness will not be expedited by the United States eliminating its borders. If anything, free and unfettered massive population movements into this country would set the entire globe back a thousand years. The logistical challenges of educating, accommodating, gainfully employing, and attending to all their safety, security, psychological and social needs would overwhelm and obliterate communities from coast to coast. To put it mildly, the implementation of a full-on open border policy would result in greater and more rapid destruction of this dynamic society than could be achieved by the detonation of a thousand nuclear devices or even a Younger Dryas sized cataclysm.
The idea that Dubai is an open border society and as such remains one of the safest places on the planet is ludicrous. First of all, adherence to the rules and social prohibitions of that strict Moslem society are strictly enforced with unbelievably harsh penalties. In that affluent and highly regulated region, there are no slum areas where unfettered migrants can settle in, search for employment and seek to establish a pathway to citizenship. In fact, throughout the UAR, the majority of the massive migrant population, upon whose labor the region is absolutely dependent, is confined to crowded work encampments and all movement in, out and about the country highly controlled.
One need only look at what is happening in Britain, Scandinavia and Germany where young women are routinely suffering sexual abuse by gangs of male foreign nationals to realize the extent of the social chaos and destruction that can arise with a sudden uncontrolled influx of people from completely different societies. It is not only foolishly naive but dangerously idealistic to believe that the rapid introduction of sizeable ethnically, linguistically, religiously, educationally and culturally divergent populations into an historically homogenous nation with long established shared values and viewpoints will not result in social chaos and political upheaval. Why would any community wish to bring such calamity upon themselves?
In reality, it is only the elite of any society that sees benefits arising from such turmoil. While they protect themselves in their gated communities, on their opulent estates behind high walls and personal security forces, at exclusive resorts on remote islands far from the brooding masses, on their yachts or streaking through the skies in their luxury jet aircraft, they privately gloat about their burgeoning profits off the backs of an ever cheaper workforce. They revel in the power they derive from a politically divided populace conflicted and confused by the misdirection, the mental and moral distractions, the relentless propaganda perpetrated by the self-serving hired hands they have installed in their monolithic media machine and by the easily corrupted politicians they have placed in positions of power to undermine the possibility of true democracy ever gaining a foothold beyond a mere facade.
Wherever the people of a nation manage to show signs of taking control of their own destiny, these elites’ privately funded agents of destruction are not far behind to sow the seeds of social destabilization that serves them so well. And nothing destabilizes a society faster than the rapid collision of large populations from totally dissimilar socioeconomic backgrounds.
So what is the solution? It is to be found simply in the gradual natural evolution of human civilization. In the steady promotion of ideals like the universality of human dignity, the expansion of enlightened visions of the potential for humanity disseminated through respectful dialogue, debate and demonstration, the acceptance and appreciation of the diversity of the human experience and cultural expression fostered in different parts of this increasingly shrinking planet over millennia of geographic isolation and only becoming seen and shared on a wide scale in recent times relative to the lengthy timeline of modern human evolution.
The solution is to be found in the nurturing of patience, kindness, generosity, empathy and understanding of the innate and universal desires of all humans to be allowed to flourish in their own ways born from unique strategies for survival in distinctly challenging circumstances all over the globe accumulated since early humans first ventured forth from their African origins. It is for the benefit of all humanity if the people who through divine providence arrived in parts of the world that fostered more rapid development than other regions, offer a portion of their good fortune to aid in the upliftment of others less fortunate. But history teaches us that it does not bode well for civilization when the less fortunate are abused and exploited by more advanced and powerful groups of people. Nor does it turn out for the better when large masses of divergent cultures collide and mutually destructive power struggles emerge and eventually disintegrate, diminish and dissolve the potential development of both cultures. Only the most ruthless and morally depraved elements of humanity triumph from such forced and unnecessarily rapid interchanges and everytime they occur the evolution of humanity is driven backwards.
It is deep in my DNA to aspire to a unified, interconnected world in which all humans are appreciated for the different ways they have dealt with the challenges life has presented them in vastly distinct historical and geographical circumstances and respected for the multitude of creative ways humans have discovered to not only survive but thrive for thousands of years. The empathetic resonance that will surely flourish as we learn to appreciate the commonality of the human experiences that have shaped the development of our unique cultures will gradually and inevitably draw all humanity closer together. But the path to that utopian ideal is best arrived at through the acceptance that the universe is unfolding at its own pace and the only way to positively accelerate humanity’s journey along that path is through patience, respect, good example and mutual support, not forced uncontrolled integration and cultural dominance.
(Lawyer + Layperson with warmth & Depth):
This message is powerful.From a legal lens ,a borderless world challenges how we define sovereignty, protection and governance. However at its core ,it calls us to question whether Man made systems have truly served humanity evolution.
As someone who has walked both the path of law and lived reality, I feel this shift isn’t just about policy or economics .
It’s about consciousness.
About how we choose to relate as human beings beyond lines on a map.
Thank you for giving voice to what many feel but hesitate to express.
Your words don’t just educate, they activate.
With warm heart and Awareness.
Comment(lawyer + layperson with warmth & Depth)
This message is powerful.From legal lens ,a borderless world challenges how we define sovereignty, protection and governance.
But at its core ,it calls us to question whether Man made systems have truly served humanity evolution.
As someone who have walked both path of law and lived reality I feel we are experiencing more than a political or economic transition, it’s a paradigm shift in human consciousness.
It is about how we choose to relate as human beings beyond lines on a map.
Thank you for giving voice to what many feel hesitate to express.
Your words don’t just educate,they activate.
With Warm heart & Awareness
Excellent article! I don’t know why, but it reminded me of the famous “Be not afraid!” speech pronounced by John Paul II in 1978 and the “I have a dream!” Martin Luther King one too.
Thank you for sharing your experience as a global citizen and entrepreneur. I have always been a strong supporter of a borderless world, or at least of free movement of people goods, services and capital across borders.
There are many ways to get there. Regional integration, like the EU or ASEAN, is a very good one. Smaller and similar nations integrating into regional blocs, then, further cooperation and removal of barriers across regions. That sounds like the Darwin’s paragraph you quote in the article.
I BET YOU WON’T POST THIS…!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Did you know that the Harry Potter series is banned in DuBai …???
They consider it to be Witchcraft….
*********************
Not many people have heard of the Kalergia Pan-European Plan for Europe. In the 1920s, Freemason (In 1922, Kalergi became a member of the Masonic lodge “Humanitas”), Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi wrote a book entitled “Praktischer Idealismus ” (practical idealism), which set forth his views on how he believed the abolition of the right to self-determination and liquidation of European countries should be carried out with the formation of the European Union.
After the publication of the book, Kalergi received help from the baron of millionaire Louis Nathaniel de Rothschild, who linked him to one of his friends, the banker Max Warburg. Warburg financed Kalergi to help form his European movement. Kalergi urged not only the destruction of European states, but also the deliberate genocide of indigenous peoples through forced mass migration to create a homogeneous mass.
In his works, Kudenhove-Kalergi showed that if there are no nations, then there will be no borders – therefore a single community will be created.
The Pan-European plan of Kalergi envisaged the use of violent and disproportionate mass immigration, especially from non-European countries, in order to bring about a common European state dictatorship and the destruction of the indigenous white population – the nationalities of Europe.
Intentional and violent immigration in any country in order to colonize and destroy, is one of the most extreme racist doctrines.
They say that the supporter of the plan of Kalergi is Soros and the Rothschild family. By the way, in the European Union there is a special Charlemagne Prize and the first one awarded is Kalergi.
In “Practical Idealism” the main inspirer of modern united Europe has directly written that in the future Europe will be ruled by a spiritual elite, the core of which will be the German aristocracy and the Jews. At the same time, the leading role will remain for the Jews, whom he calls “the leading spiritual race of Europe,” “the nobility of the brain,” and “the spiritual aristocracy.”
As for the rest of the population of Europe, in the future it will, according to Kalerga, become a homogeneous Eurasian-Negroid race, and the nations will disappear, mix with each other and – very importantly – with a LARGE number of MIGRANTS.
Today, the ideas of Kudenhove-Kalergia are successfully implemented. Before our eyes, the demographic revolution is taking place (the reduction in the number of Europeans replaced by the “Eurasian-Negroid race”), the “spiritual nation of leaders” is consolidating , the process of “denationalizing” Europe is rapidly proceeding through the abolition of political boundaries.
*********************************************************
Source: https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-Kalergi-Plan
Vishen, as more and more of the ‘awakened’ take on leadership roles, I believe borders will dissolve for humanity to flourish. Team Earthflag here! Greetings from Melbourne, Australia (how ironic, I needed to use a border to define my location).
Brilliant, wholeheartedly agree with you. This time is coming. Even the nay-sayers will slowly come out of contraction. Once again from a base of fear people tend to associate open borders with lawlessness. The contrary would be true! Blessings!
How do I cancel my membership. We are not aligned and your article was quite ignorant.
I started reading the article out of curiosity in Star Treks take but ended with a bit of disappointment 😞.
I am of Indian origin who grew up in Dubai and now settled in Australia.
Growing up i remember thinking why borders.. and I used to dream of that ONE world idea.
The article was an interesting read but doesn’t have all the facts straight and I feel sorry for those who buy into it. Don’t get me wrong.. I am sooo for a world without borders.. but I also understand that is not a possibility for many many centuries to come.
All of humanity, every nation, every color and creed of ppl have their good people and then the disturbed kind. While being from India I wouldn’t feel safe to travel alone in certain northern parts of the country while in others I would be totally fine at any time of the day. That would be the same for UK. I have friends from UK who claim the same.
Dubai could be a different story. I grew up there in the 90s. I love the country and am grateful for the opportunities the country has addorded to me and my family. Great place but even for them the ‘working class’ did not have Emiratis back then. Emiratis only reeped the benefits while the ‘working’ class had few benefits. As a young girl I remember accompanying my dad to a labour camp once and my heart was broken when I saw the conditions there. I was furious and upset. The camp was filled with Indians, Pakistanis, Bengladeshis.. living cramped and under harsh desert conditions. But not a single Emirati. My husband attempted to work in Dubai for a bit in mid 2000s when we had just graduated.. and his company seized his passport when they issued the visa for him. He was a young software engineer and quite passionate about his profession. He lost his freedom for a whole year. A 20something him was furious and fueled by his age he did break free at the end of the year and returned home to India to work in some of the best companies in the world with his freedom and dignity intact.
Why I’m trying to rehash the past is to bring to light that no one is perfect and we are all evolving.
I agree that Labor laws have become sooo much better in the middle east now and working conditions as well as living conditions are amazing. I my sister and brother are settled in Dubai and I would love to go back.
Just like how Dubai has evolved I believe everyone will too. But with all the inequality and power struggle in every realm I don’t think we will get there soon.
Just like someone said.. we arent able to open our doors to the world because we want to keep our families safe.. and I believe that is what everyone and every country is attempting to do.
I think borders are necessary.. but ofcourse we should use technology to assist with having controlled and seamless transition between borders.
@Vishen.. if u truly believe in going borderless.. I would suggest you open the doors of Mindvalley to the world with a nominal charge to support running the business but not for profit? Hard to sell right. 😉
Maybe start with updating the article to not sound soo high and mighty.
Good Luck with the residency applications.
A borderless society is a truly an intriguing idea. It does have potential but with every idea, concept or institution, there are advantages and disadvantages.
I’m a Nigerian living in Nigeria. A country with over 250 ethnic groups. Despite our differences, we tend to have this sense of community (at least, most of the time). However, if not for the borders, you all will see the challenges we face from the bad eggs in my country. (Mind you, I’m using my country for context)
For me, I still support the idea of borders on the basis of:
1. It provides some semblance of control and restraint. If you know some of the things we face, you wouldn’t want a borderless society.
2. I believe it will cause bureaucracy, if not escalate what already exists.
3. Borders create a deeper sense of identity. I’m Edo, and certain positions held in our traditional councils are reserved for the indigenous-born people.
4. Individuals with questionable characters will abuse it, causing chaos over vast areas before being apprehended.
To keep the long story short, I understand what you’re talking about. I actually dream about something like this but are we actually prepared for it.
Let me shed some light on what is happening within Nigeria for you to understand better.
1. Beggars keep having children despite their financial standing. Some under the age of 25, having between 4-5 children. They know what they’re doing and when you can’t provide enough for them, they move towards crime.
2. Individuals killing their families and loved ones because of money.
3. Terrorist herdsmen living in our backyards, exhibiting more rights than the citizens, assaulting and killing innocent people in their farms. ( Research recent news in Uromi)
Now, I want you to consider what would happen if these categories of people were to live in a borderless society. Do you think it’s safe? Do you think it’s achieveable at this stage in humanity or in the near future?
The concept is beautiful but we should also consider the reasons why borders were put in place. I live in a society that is borderless to a certain degree. Do you think the world is truly ready?
Or….”argue for your limitations, and they’re yours”. Cheers!
Ridiculous! As if erasing the borders would “cause” so many problems. No it wouldnt.
Everything would settle into a new normal. Or Everthing would remain the same, except there would be no borders.
Criminals, murderers, thieves dont care about borders. They find ways with or without borders if thats your argument. No one said no laws. Sure youve got walls and doors on your house for a reason but those dont actually stop anyone who really wants to get in. Same with borders. Let’s find someone to blame instead.
Life would become much more seamless, flow and ease would run through business and personal activities and the inevitable spillover would be one of bountiful opportunity for all.
Someone’s got to hold the Vision.
I am a man from England writing to you very unhappy about this article. Firstly the title is inappropriate and aggressive, and secondly I did not sign up to Paul McKenna’s mental health videos to get political statements through my email winding me up!
As much as I love John Lenon’s song Imagine I don’t agree with it at all.
The main thing to say about your article is that is nothing more than a Utopian fantasy, here in the UK we’ve lived an approach of this borderless idea in reality in the last 20 years and it has proved to be a disaster.
Instead of a largely cohesive and socially connected society back in the 1990’s we now have completely separated communities often with nothing in common. Growing up we would know many of the people in the street, village and town, and we could strike up a conversation knowing we had things we could converse about. Now we have people from distant lands and cultures and can find very little in common. Less connection and less trust.
You love to call people like me Xenophobic, another negative propaganda word. How do you explain that I like to travel to countries all around the world, enjoying their culture then? I can enjoy other cultures but I don’t want to live in them all the time, I prefer mine. Why on earth is that so wrong?
Human beings like to belong, to have a tribe, a set of values that they like to live by. Having a culture is not some evil thing that is beating humans down, it is a structure that most of us enjoy being part of. Singing national anthems, sharing the language, being patriotic, watching sporting events between different nations are a joy. Are you against human nature? Your idea leads to loads of disparate people who have no idea who they are or where they should be.
I should just say, immigration can be a good thing as it generally was before the 1990s. Small amounts of highly skilled, good natured people brought in adds to the country, as they bring skills and integrate into the culture. Huge numbers of people that we have brought in here in the UK have not integrated and have damaged the fabric of our country forever. Do you think that the UK is a more healthy place because of mass immigration, have you actually visited our major cities?
If you think that mass immigration is so wonderful for the economy, how come we’ve added 10 million people to our population here in the UK in only 20 years and our economy is far worse than it was back then? According to you we should be absolutely booming!
Your idea assumes that everyone is kind natured and open minded and accepting. I’ve got news for you, you’re living in la-la land. Human being are not all the same, it is a huge mix of good and bad behaviour which you will never get rid of, it’s human nature. There will always be bad people and they will always seek others like them, again to find their tribe, and they will behave badly to others. Open borders will not lead in any way to a better natured, happier healthier society. Borders keep the peace, and people safe. Why do you think we have walls on our houses, prisons etc? A country is no different.
Also, your comments about Brexit are based almost entirely on spurious claims.
We are not having longer queues in airports, there were the same size queues before Brexit, it’s just a different queue.
Our economy is not shrinking because of Brexit, other economies in the EU including Germany are having a worse time of it than us, so did they leave the EU? The GDP forecasts saying this are always completely wrong and as we’ve found always anti Brexit. Please don’t believe the left wing liberal woke BBC, they don’t represent the majority of people in this country.
Brexit did not happen because of right wing politicians stoking it. You seem to think that everyone was happy with immigration until the nasty pied piper politicians came along and we all fell under their spell. Do you really have so little faith that people actually have minds of their own? People have been getting angrier and angrier for years about the scale of immigration, we just had no one to articulate it for us because everyone was told by Labour Government officials that they were racist to talk about it – THAT is the real skullduggery that happened here, propagated by people on your side of the argument. Politicians like Farage came along and finally articulated what many in our country felt.
The way you talk about Trump is like a typical liberal left winger, you think he’s the evil man doing evil things. May I remind you that it was real people that voted him in! His closing up of the borders is what people wanted. The presidents before him tried your loose borders idea and it has been rejected, hence why the west as a whole is now looking to reverse the immigration mess. Even your beloved EU is now starting to clamp down on this.
Your idea is a deluded fantasy, the semi open borders experiment has been tried and rejected by real people.
Please do not send through any more political messages through.
I agree with you 1000% and I don’t appreciate this political message coming through my email. All you who want open borders go find a place to do that but leave the rest of us alone.
Your newsletter brought tears to my eyes. Finally, someone who gets it.
Ever since a child I have had this Star Trek dream of a world where humanity comes first and borders serve a functional purpose, but not an identity to be grasped and not something to will lead to bloodshed. I have my roots in what is now, two different countries and have always had trouble responding when people ask me where I am from. Life has taken me to different cities, towns, countries and I have absorbed so much of everything from all these places that I wonder if I need to bind my identity to a single flag.
I love the earth flag. Let’s start flying this and I hope it will create a ripple effect. I have seen too much of the hatred these labels generate, and wouldn’t it be a dream come true if evolution took us from bring prisoners of our identities to a land of higher possibilities. I might live to see the USS Enterprise and the United Federation, actually come to life 🙂
The world isn’t ready for a borderless reality — not because the idea is bad, but because the systems, values, and power structures we have aren’t built to handle it yet.
A borderless world could be beautiful but only after radical shifts in:
– Wealth redistribution
– Environmental stewardship
– Global governance structures
– Cultural respect and protection
– Technological equity
Without addressing those, a borderless world wouldn’t lead to unity — it would lead to chaos, exploitation, and environmental collapse.
It already is a mess as not all are identifying as global citizens, the “us vs them” overpowers “we”.
Much work to be done to unite humanity before inviting everyone to coexist without borders.