People dedicated to their country, usually called patriots or patriotic, have been some of the most decorated and accomplished achievers in life. When you ask a patriot 'What do you fight for?' they say 'My Country' Usually, I believe, they consist of soldiers and fellow fighters. My Question: Why do we fight for our country? Because we know nothing else? We are scared of change? Should we not fight for our country, but for the benefit of it'speople? I understand where patriots come from serving their countries, for the justice and goodness it has but it still doesn't always seem right. I don't understand how people who fight for their country and are dedicated to die for it, allow it to become corrupt. I belive Politics has nowhere in Patriotism, politcians are not the soldiers fighting for their country, they are in their offices getting loads of money for discussing what should or shouldn't happen. Hardly any decisions are made, and when they go wrong people suffer for it. when soldiers are sent away to war too fight for thier country, they believe it to be noble and right, but all soldiers are tools for politicians, the pawns in a Chess game, with which the heroic soldiers are on the front lines taking most of the action, while the King and Queen (politicians) sit back and in hardy in ahy danger becuase they have everyone else defending them. THe only reason to start a war is to protect your own people from danger or to start war on another country that hurts its people. Yet we go to war for profit and gain, and poor Patriots suffer for politcians who never seem to care. I say, a minimum requirment for anyone to be a politician would be to enroll in the army, navy, etc for a year, too teach them about the real life situation that soldiers have to go through and how much they care for their, people, and how much pain soldiers have to deal with.
I think the structure and mindset of patriotism is a little out of line. First of all, for the benefit of people to survive, it's a global scale, not just one country (the country they fight for or are dedicated to). I think patriotism is selfish and only serves for the success of part of the entire picture. Every time I meet a "patriot," the first thing I say is "what's more important, the country or everyone else?" Because honestly, it is nothing but blind submission, without them even knowing it. Just some five minute thought on it.
I honestly think that patriotism is wrong. As is any blind belief in something. People need to remember to think before they act and before they pledge their lives towards something. Don't get me wrong, I think that being proud of the country in which you live, but that country has to earn your respect. I think that being indoctrinated into thinking that your country is the greatest country in the world at a young age is dangerous and unhealthy at best. It is used by government to control the people by making them think that they are infallible. However, I do think that it is important to be proud of your country if you think you should be. If people aren't then there could be dangerous levels of anarchy lol On to the point as to whether a patriot should be for the country or its people. Always the people. A country is nothing without its people, in fact it wouldn't exist without any people. A patriot should do what he/she thinks is right for the people of the county, not the country (i.e. the government in most cases). Unfortunately, these two sides don't always have the same goals.
People need something to believe in as quoted by you Peace and War and it's also another belief.My brain isn't working at full capacity so i will edit my post later to give my complicated view.
I do not dislike patriots. I respect them for dedication to something they believe in and care about, they are equivalents of parents in my book. What confounds me is patriots who stick to their country even if it is corrupt. It seems that through this act, they are either very dedicated to the country that they are worthy of being called patriots or are just too afraid for change that they cling to a crippling government. While the patriots I respect are the ones who fight for the people. If their government system is wrong, they will attempt to stop it, facing hardships of being called a traitor to their country or even death when all they wish to do is save their people from troubles. If you don't know, the British Empire spanned across globe a few hundred years ago, they conquered many countries, some said their rule was better than ever before for the countries, while others sadi they enslaved other countries people ruthlessly. One way or another a few people who were dedicated to their countries peple rose up and stopped the British empire's rule, declaring indepensence. Poepl could call them true patriots for what they did.
Patriotism is a thing that in small doses is fine but let to go to the extreme fails...just like religion or anything else that can go fanatic and lead to disarray. For example, see any history of any country pretty much when it does stupid things. One big example, Germany and WW II and the events that led up to WW II. I am an American. Do I have some pride in the country? Sure, some. Do I also see the faults that this country has? Yes, I certainly do. Throughout our history this country has done some great things, mediocre things and some down right crappy things. In a way I have to stand behind all of them. I have to accept that our leaders and those under orders did some craptastic ventures now and then. It was patriotism that helped win our people's freedom and also inspired other countries to gain freedom from their oppressive nobles and religious tyranny etc. It can be a useful tool and feeling when trying to fix a great problem but in other ways it's not so great. Patriotism goes wrong because a patriot will see that a country has done -nothing- wrong. Everything has an excuse or made up reason why an action was in line to do and just fine or they utterly ignore it as many fanatic religious zealots do. If you try to raise an issue that something is wrong with the country, they don't want to hear it and will likely turn on you because you are speaking ill of the country. You become seen as a lazy burden that shouldn't belong in the country because people have died for your country and to preserve your right to think as you do blah blah. Considering that some 'patriots' believe Atheists shouldn't even exist as citizens in America, including my own president, perhaps it's caused me to be jaded. Also, I was in the army and hearing that 'Atheists aren't in foxholes' rather pissed me off. If anything, we are there and were there and care for defending our country and we are also getting pushed by evangelical Protestants with religion down our throats. It's highly annoying. I went off topic in a way but felt it was for a reason. Being a former soldier for a few years, being raised in a military family as well, and yet having more of an open-mind, I can say that I think patriotism is a zealous movement when people refuse to see our country's flaws. This goes for -any- country. There is nowhere that is perfect and people of any country will slam other countries but low and behold if you dare to say anything to them on how corrupt or wrong some detail is about their home turf. I do think that we should have 'something' to believe in where we are at or we are obviously in the wrong place. However, also accepting we are human and that our countries are bound to as many flaws as is typical of humans in other areas is a must in order to help lower corruption and keep us mindful to keep our countries alive. I often say first I am a citizen of Earth and then I am an American. It keeps my priorities straight to realize I need to focus on what is good for the world and also my neck of the woods. Someone who calls himself/herself a patriot usually is a person that is full of pride in a country but misses out on the flaws and so corruption can flourish. I won't identity myself as such though I do not certainly loath my home. I just see at the same time as I am happy to be here, it still has work to become an ideal place.
