The continent of Europe is geographically a part of the Eurasian landmass. The reason why it was recognised as a separate continent was solely due to British exceptionalism. They viewed Asians as inferior and wanted to distance themselves from them, even if it meant defying the very geographical definition and etymology of ‘continent-land’ or continent.

The power imbalance entailing colonisation by Empire still echoes. Exceptionalism is no longer rooted in a race or ethnicity but in a mindset with memetic propagation. ‘We are better than others’. To that I ask, who are ‘we’ exactly? Humans bound by nationality? Be it American, Indian, English, or German. Germans used to believe Deutschland Über alles. There is a surge of similar nationalistic tendencies echoing all across the globe.

Such chauvinistic tendencies promote hatred and a false need to ‘defend’ the country. The idea of decolonisation is not simply about making peace with the past and its implications on the present and future. It is about understanding and respecting humanity before nationality. Each one of us, regardless of social and economic status has a right to basic facilities that Earth provides. Egalitarianism is the anti-thesis of exceptionalism. The solution is the propagation of the idea that all humans are equally important and equally fallible. However, simple principles are often the hardest to implement.

My own experience with decolonisation started with understanding the dignity of my own ethnicity and upbringing. Coming from a modest economic background had inevitably imbibed servitude in me. However, servitude and conscientiousness should not be conflated. If one is conscientious, he, and most importantly, she should be treated equally. Unfortunately, women have had to face the brunt of this disparity. The solution again is building self-esteem, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religion. When I truly measured myself amongst the world, by traveling and absorbing different cultures, I understood that we are all equally fallible and deeply human. Decolonisation, then is simply the acquiring of self-knowledge and abandoning the vestiges that were brought about by repression, either by oppressive regimes, abusive men, hateful fringe groups, or conservative and elitist societies.