PATRIOTISM

Patriotism means an attachment to and love for one’s country. Poets tell us that man loves his motherland simply because the world is too vast and he can not love the whole of it at one time. But let us add the love of one’s country, if properly developed, is capable of extending to the entire world. So it is natural that we should love our country because we breathe in its air, we live under its skies and we are a part of its soil.
“Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own.” ~Seneca
This is why even the lee landaus have a love for their snow-covered country, which it is difficult, for others, for others even to imagine. Thus patriotism is a natural virtue born out of a sense of affection towards the country which has brought us up like a mother.
But is quite easy to see that like many other good qualities patriotism is liable to be abused we should not be narrow-minded patriots. Often the love of one country is supposed to mean hatred towards other countries. This is unfortunately misguided view of patriotism. People who are blind to the claims of other countries say, “Our country-right or wrong”. It is this type of patriotism that we should guard against, because a narrow-minded view of patriotism often leads to misunderstanding, jealousies and wars. A little thinking will convince us that a thing cannot be both right and wrong at one and the same time. In a war both the sides believe that they are fighting for justice and one patriot kills another patriot, all the while believing that this patriotism is superior the patriotism of his enemy. This attitude is very dangerous, and therefore, it should always be avoided. Mankind is one and countries and raced are only various branches of the big family of mankind. Hence it is foolish and dangerous to be narrowing minded in our views regarding patriotism. keeping this fact in mind however, we must always try to cultivate the right kind of patriotism, but this is no argument to say that because a thing is capable of being abused it should be given up altogether.
Patriotism has just this weak point but there are many good points worthy of being cultivated. For instance, the love of one’s country may develop into a love of mankind a man who is incapable of loving his own country is even less capable of loving any other land. It is in this sense that true patriotism makes us great and teaches us to love mankind as one family created by one god and governed by the laws of one universe a true patriot therefore will never like to say such things about other countries, as he would not tolerate about his own country. It is important that we should create in us the qualities of a true patriot. This may lead us to the love of humanity as a whole.
“Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.” ~ Oscar Wilde