by Mark Majors

Created on: February 12, 2009

Patriotism for a nation is not only a positive aspect of a country's heritage; it is a necessary component of the nation's survival. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your country and wanting to show your support for the nation that you call home. Patriotism doesn't promote division unless it becomes toxic and moves into "Nationalism". These are two very separate ideals and unfortunately are used interchangeably in society today. The fact that this very question is even posed proves how misunderstood the word Patriotism is.

Simply put, Patriotism is pride for ones country, Nationalism is the concept of thinking that your nation is superior to that of other nations. Nationalism is the great divide between nations, not Patriotism.
As an American I am very proud of my country and for the ideals and values it stands for. While I feel that the United States may be the greatest nation in the world, I understand that it is my bias and opinion that make this argument and do not believe that we should tout this pride as fact. If we have learned anything from the Bush Administration, it is that the false propaganda and nationalistic mentality displayed by his administration created such hatred towards us in the world that to single out nations as "Evil" and others as "Good" is a completely asinine foreign policy mistake.
It was the Patriot's of our land who called for change because they loved their country and saw the mistakes of illogical leaders and pushed forth a movement to end this poisonous behavior.
This is why Patriotism is such a positive and necessary part of a nation, if nothing more than to cleanse its country from the corrupt that wish to impose on the very values that a nation was built on.

Luckily, Patriotism is not just a protective tool for a nation's government, it is also a way to celebrate the proud heritage and history of its people. Every nation has blemishes both big and small that it is ashamed of, but Patriotism reverts back to the pride of the "true" values of a nation. Patriotism is the pride in knowing that one's nation has overcome obstacles but can still remain true to its principles. This is real Patriotism and the heartbeat that keeps every nation alive.

The lesson to learn is that Patriotism is not a bad thing; be proud of who you are and the flag you wave, for you are one voice in a global community. Your voice should be heard as we are all humans sharing this planet. But also be alert, for there are nations amongst us where Nationalism rises and we must ensure that the patriots of those nations defeat the evils of Nationalism.
What better way to help those who are oppressed than to show them what true Patriotism is, and why its existence can smother the cancerous ideals of Nationalism.

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