posted July 02, 2007 01:13 AM            

I always wonder. When it comes to older nations like for instance, Egypt, India, Spain, France etc, can we really go by the latest birthday? Looking at France, whose birthday is listed as France(Fourth Republic): October 30, 1946, 2:40 PM local time, Paris, I find it hard to believe that the nation's personality and heritage would be reflected in a birthday that's only 61 year old. And, there is more to India than India(Republic): January 26, 1950, midnight, New Dehli. They've been around for much longer than that and their national psyche reflects it.

I think for those old countries, the newer birthdates are significant, but mostly as events significators, showing the direction in which the country is moving at a particular time. I feel that the original birthdate is the one that operates in the background all the time, even though it may be temporary supplanted by the later birthday.