What is Patriotism?
Do you love your country?
My assumption, and hope, is that most people answer in the affirmative. If I rephrase the question and ask if you are a patriot, will I also get the same response? Or are some people afraid of the word? Has the term become too loaded over time?
Patriotism
What is patriotism?
I’m in complete agreement with Mark Twain on patriotism. He explained it as “supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”
I too draw a clear distinction between government and country. The two are not the same.
What is a country?
A quick glance at the dictionary will give us an idea. It lists a few definitions:
- a state or nation.
- the territory of a nation.
- the people of a district, state, or nation.
- the land of one’s birth or citizenship.
I think a country can be any of those things or all of them. To me, a country is the sum of a nation’s people, customs, cultures, language(s), land, etc. A country can’t really be seen on a map because what you see is merely a representation of the territory it possesses. We can’t really even see a country from a plane as we fly over it either. We’re merely seeing…
