Here's a question, though: if real freedom doesn't happen until the Internet is decentralized...where's the centralization of the Internet itself?

As far as I can tell, there is no ownership of the Internet at large. There are huge entities (coughGooglecough) out there buying up big swaths of the real estate, but it's still almost impossible even in ultra-heavy-handed places like China to completely own, maintain or regulate the communication medium that is the Internet itself. So from that definition, we already have freedom and do not need to invent an alternative. The alternatives we need to have would revolve around getting us out of the Google-type traps where all our interaction with others is actually happening within the regulatory eyes of a company.

Also, the idea of a borderless world nation is a pretty old one and there are a couple of long-held problems that appear even here on Steemit: 1.) cultural differences ultimately make us most comfortable interacting with those who belong or at least mostly understand the cultural place we come from, creating automatic barriers; and 2.) good fences really do make good neighbors.

Thanks for the thoughtful article, as always! I curate for Build-a-Whale and am always happy to see your name show up in the list.