Dr. Jose Rizal: Nationalist or Patriot?
Nationalism and patriotism are sometimes interchanged since they both show their love to their nation. According to Hans Kohn, Nationalism is an ideology based on the premise that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests. Nationalism desires unity by their way of a cultural background, including language and heritage. Patriotism shows love country and willingness to sacrifice for it by their values and beliefs. According to George Orwell, Nationalism is more on that one’s country is superior to another, while patriotism is simply a feeling of admiration for a way of life.
As for me, Dr. Jose Rizal is both a Nationalist and a Patriot. Why? He is an advocate for great reforms during Spanish era that shows his love for our country, the Philippines. He is an author of a books that has shown his principles that up to day, people are still learning from it. It shows love for our country because he desires unity for his country without any violent actions or any revolution act towards people who are making themselves as a superior to Filipinos but uses his knowledge and virtues by writing novels. He emphasized the importance of the Tagalog language and that language will not be a basis to know their status in life. But at the end of it, Dr. Rizal just want our country to be one and to let us be proud of being Filipinos because we will be proud as Filipinos.