FOLLOWING THE MONKEY-PATH

follow the flag and fight for its life

Past, present and future, colours guide us through a caleidoscope of emotions and inspired behavior. Flags and banners form the core of a fighting force. In battle the flag functioned as a guide and rallying point. When the flag fell, another warrior took-over. Also did flags follow the main chess-pieces, kings, emperors or general or heroes.

Armies, as big as small cities, swore oaths of alliance and promised to give their life for it.

Nowadays we still use flags. We planted some on the Moon (USA, Russia, possibly China), we see them presented at sporting-events and during a Papal Mass or an ACDC-concert. And of course during conflicts. The winning party destroys, accept buildings and lives, the flags and banners. Bannishes its colours and symbols. You see this moment visualised in American, Japanese, German marines and stormtroopers planting their flag on the Reichstag in Berlin, Iwo Jima and the Ararat-mountains. Hitler was furious, when he learned about it. Still, Nazi-planes marked large portions of Antarctica by dropping the NAZI-flag.

Football-clubs have colours adored and worn by the fans. Competions among sports, like the Olympics or the Football World Cup. The flags are, like on the classic battlefield, woven in mass, to impress the enemy and stimulate the sports-warriors of their own.

Statistics show, that teams playing in red, have a better chance of winning, against opponents wearing any other colour.

First question: What do the colours and symbols mean countries have chosen for their national flag.

A summary:

Black:

determination, ethnic heritage, and/or defeating ones enemies

Blue:

freedom, vigilance, perseverance, prosperity, peace and/or patriotism

Green:

Earth, agriculture, fertility, Islam

Red:

courage, revolution, hardiness, blood, valor, loyalty

White:

Peace, purity, mountains, snow, innocence, surrender, organised religion

Yellow:

Sun, wealth. and/or justice

THE NATIONS AND THEIR FLAGS

red, white and blue: USA, Great Britain, France, Russia (recent), Norway, Tsjechia, Australia, New Zealand, Luxemburg, Serbia

red, black and yellow (gold): Belgium, Germany

red, white and orange: Ireland. India

red, white, green: Italy, Mexico

red and green: portugal

red: Russia (USSR), China, Maroc, Albania, Turkey, Macedon

green and white: Pakistan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia

black, red and white: Germany (Empire), Germany (Nazi), Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Emirates (Dubai), Atlantis (colours of the 3 pyramids at Gizeh)

red and white: Switserland, Poland, Indonesia, Denmark, Canada, Croatia

blue and white: Argentina, Finland

yellow and white: Vatican City

orange, white and blue: Republic of the Netherlands

red, green and yellow: ethiopia

red and black: Kenia

yellow and blue: sweden

red, black green: Libya

red, green, black, yellow: South-Africa

green, yellow and black: Jamaica

orange, white and green: Iivory Coast, India

This is the material you have to work with. Add, correct and research these data. Do you recognise any patterns?

I do.