http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/patriotism/
Here's my take on patriotism:I'm not a huge fan. I did 8.5 years in the military, and I would still gladly give to my country, or even die for the benefit of others (so long as my death meant something). But I did 6 months of those years in Iraq. I didn't feel like a patriot. I felt like a liberator. I was still fine with it, and I was happy to sacrifice for the good of others. I helped make the country safer by helping to find insurgent fighters who were killing not only coalition troops, but innocent Iraqis every day. Was I a patriot? I don't know. I felt more like an Iraqi patriot.
The point was that I was sacrificing for the benefit of others, because I could. I had the skills and training to help, even though it was dangerous to do so and it took me away from home and family. People thanked me for serving my country every time I walked around in public in uniform. I appreciated that, but I also felt a little weird accepting thanks for it.
In this country, my concern for others and my nation (which happens to be whatever nation I am living in and off of) should be motivating me to be politically active, involved in food banks and other charities, serving my neighbors, etc. That's part of the definition of patriotism, but I don't really care. As far as I'm concerned, this whole world is a family. Some of us are violent and misguided and horrible, and need to be kept from harming others of the family. But is my neighbor's life worth more than a child in Southeast Asia? Or an old woman in Canada? Or a young man forced to serve in the military in Romania? No. It's not. The world might be better off withOUT patriotism. Maybe we could see each other clearly as humans, and brothers and sisters instead of hostile nations. Well, probably not, but I can dream.
I guess I'm not a patriot. Excuse me while I go feed the hungry.
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