As an American, yesterday the 4th of July was a big day for me. Independence Day is a time of family, parades, cookouts, fireworks, and just general celebration. We celebrate our country, and we pride ourselves in its values of liberty and freedom. And that's great. But this post does not intend to celebrate the United States per se.Rather, I want to briefly muse on the subject of patriotism. Sadly, this concept seems to have fallen off in recent years and been dismissed as naive. In modern times, patriotism seems to be associated with nationalism, with an obsession over the supposed superiority of one's country and an ignorant dismissal of other nations. In a global world, this attitude helps no one, and causes more harm than good. I agree with that. But nationalism is not patriotism.
The Merriam-Webster English dictionary defines nationalism as "loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups." On the other hand, the definition of patriotism is "love for or devotion to one's country." Much more simple; much more desirable.
However, this will go beyond defining terms. I want to make a case for why YOU, wherever you are from, should be patriotic. I have shown that being patriotic does not mean you are nationalistic; you do not need to think "my country art better than thine," nor do you need to advocate turning other countries into your own. To be a patriot, all one needs is a love of country. Perhaps you do not agree with everything your government protects, or maybe you are ashamed of the attitudes your fellow citizens exude. Maybe you simply think your country is not that great. Should this keep you from patriotism? My answer is no.
Consider your family. Most of you who read this probably have a family that you love. We all have to admit that our families are not perfect; you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually believes their family is objectively better than all other families on this planet. Yet we love them anyway. Why? Because they are our family. We were born into them; we were raised by them; and for those reasons alone, we owe them our loyalty. Simply put, devotion to family is our duty. There are always exceptions, yes, but those situations are not what I am talking about.
Like we were with our families, we were also born into a country not of our choice, and this country had some part in forming us, making us who we are. We are all products of it, just as we are a product of our parents and our siblings, and the rest of our relatives. For this reason, we must admit that our country is more than simply a government that protects our rights. Our country is part of us. In this same manner, our countrymen are a part of us. We Americans are all in this together, and I would dare say that Canadians are in it together, as are Kenyans, Iranians, and Russians. So, even if you do not agree with everything your country does, loyalty to it is indeed your duty. Like with your family, there are exceptions, but I truly feel these only occur when the government of your country prevents you from doing your own duty to God and to your family. But that's a talk for another day.
As an American, I am lucky. My country treats me well, and for this reason, loving it is not difficult. I do not doubt that citizens of North Korea might have a hard time agreeing with me, for it seems that their government is not so kind. I do not know what that is like, so I can only wish I could sympathize. But love of country does not have to equal love of government, and so despite the misgivings of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, I am confident that there are those who live in North Korea who do love their country. I recall speaking with a young woman from China who was in the US on an exchange program. She told me something interesting, something that showed me that love of country does not need to be based on objective quality. Out of all the conversations I had with this student, about half ended up discussing the government of China, which she felt was in many ways oppressive and harmful to its people. But this did not affect her loyalty to her country. "I don't like our government," she said, "but of course I love China!” She explained that despite its current plight, it is where she was born. China is still her country; its citizens, her countrymen, and for that reason alone, she owed China her allegiance.
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