Patriotism
Posted By Teeni on December 13, 2010
According to the dictionary, a patriot is a person who loves and defends his or her country.
I’ve pondered this for a while and it has given way to some deeper thoughts. In some ways, the idea of patriotism seems silly to me, as no human alive has had any control over which country they are born into, just as they have no control over the religion, financial status, or race of the family they are born into. And I know there are people who will conclude that I don’t love my country because of what I write , but that is not the case. I am simply saying that I would probably love whatever country I was raised in because there would be where my childhood was and many comforting, cherished memories would have been created there. I don’t want to speak for everyone, but I think this would be true of most people if they would only consider it.
It’s possible to love your country without loving every minute thing about it. I may not like some of the laws or I may think the government could be better, but then again, I can love my sister without loving every one of her habits too.
As for flags, I feel that a piece of cloth that somebody came up with a long time ago to represent my country is just a symbol. I am in no way a flag burner, but I don’t understand why it has become so important to treat a piece of fabric with more veneration than some people get in both life and death. I have never understood why there are so many rules about displaying a flag, lighting it, raising it, lowering it, and folding it when we have things such as homeless people and mass/unmarked graves. Surely people deserve more respect than a flag does.
I feel blessed to have Canada as our northern neighbor. Some of the nicest, smartest and most wonderful people were born there and I’ve been lucky to meet some through my online experiences and through that, into my real life. Sometimes I feel that I click better with them than I do with some of my own countrymen. It’s nice to know that we share a continent. Though I’ve seen a rare few people from other countries use the internet to bash my country, I can’t take it personally. I don’t always agree with my government myself. And it’s true with any country that a few idiots can find their way to power, but that does not mean the whole country is filled with idiots. Only an idiot would think that. (See that there? That was me defending my country in my own small way.) 
Some people feel that religion is a divisive tool. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. I honestly don’t know for sure. I know that PEOPLE use tools for their own purposes. And sometimes I feel that things like patriotism are divisive as well. I’m not sure it makes sense for me to get all defensive about what others say and think about my country. We all live in a country, which is just a human titled piece of land when you think about it. And I think, for the most part, we each have strong feelings for our countries of origin. We humans just seem to have a knack for adopting smaller ideals and overlooking the big picture.
This is in no way meant to be disrespectful to the people who are physically defending my country. I truly appreciate the sacrifices that our servicemen and women have made in order to make our citizens feel safe, in times of war and at all times. I know they sincerely are doing the best they can for their countrymen, giving their blood, sweat, tears and lives. I pray that they are never misguided by those that direct them, and that they will be able to enjoy the comforts of home once again as soon as possible. I just wish they never had to be put in that position in the first place.
And though I am not all totally earthy-crunchy, I do think we need to get over all these divisive obstacles and start to see that we all have a common home and we should be taking care of and respecting it. If we are to believe some of the religious and earth science teachings we’ve received our lives, our planet wasn’t always broken up into separate continents. Maybe the big guy upstairs deserves more credit than he’s been getting.
Happy holidays to all - wherever you are from and whatever you are celebrating. There is no place like home and this is true for us all.
Hugs,
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Teeni, big high fives and hugs! I couldn’t have written this better myself - I agree wholeheartedly.
Thanks, Kami! High fives and hugs right back at ya! Someone suggested I get a little more controversial on my blog and it occurred to me how many silly little things we humans fight over and made me think of some of the obstacles that keep us from getting along better.
Earth rules! Gliese 581 drools!
Haha!
I have to agree with you Chip! It would definitely be cool to have another planet to visit but Earth is my home sweet home for sure!
What a great post! I really enjoyed this, and I have similar feelings to you on many of the points. I LOVE my country, but like you, I know I would love whatever country I was born/raised in, or even if I moved there later in my life.
I also love YOUR country, I have wonderful memories of my trip there to see neat places like New York, Philadelphia, LA, etc. I hope I will get the chance to come back sometime and see other parts - and especially to visit you!
Aw, thanks, Hannah! I love it here but I also want to visit other countries too and I especially still want to have fish and chips on the beach for Christmas sometime in New Zealand with YOU!
I love my country too… But I definitely think there’s room for improvement - there’s always room for improvement, because nobodies perfect!
You said it, Leaf!
I really loved this post. I love my country, because I have the freedom to express my dislikes! That does NOT make me un-patriotic!
I think you said it best when you wrote:
“It’s possible to love your country without loving every minute thing about it. I may not like some of the laws or I may think the government could be better, but then again, I can love my sister without loving every one of her habits too.”
Well said!!
Thanks, Meleah! It’s funny how people can go around hating a whole country because of just a few bad examples. It’s not like any country is run in complete agreement with all of its people. There’s only one earth and maybe we should all just refer to ourselves as fellow earthlings.
dropping by here at your tearoom! i missed this place. Hi there teenie!
Hi Sheng! So good to see you!
“we should all just refer to ourselves as fellow earthlings. ” Amen to that!
Have I told you lately that I’m so glad you and I share the same planet? Cuz I AM!!!!
Well said Teeni ! I even read your post to my husband and he thought it was great too!
Hey thanks, Melanie! It’s cool that you thought enough of it to read to your hubby. I’m flattered that he liked it.
Took me awhile to actually find the time to read this. Glad I finally did. Great post teeni! I agree with everything you wrote here. It’s all true. Especially about the Canadian thing.
Truth be known though. It’s our way to get you all comfy with us. We will be all nice and everything and then when you least expected, we’ll pounce all over everybody and take over the entire planet! And then we…. err… I’ve said to much.
*dispatching assassins*
LOL! Hi Mac! I’m glad you liked the post. I have thought about this stuff for a while and it just needed to be put out there. If I don’t talk to you again before the assassins get me, I mean before the holiday, then I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful one! Hugs!
I am happy to live somewhere that allows me to ride my new bike. My dog loves his bike too! (( smile ))
Patriotic thoughts can mean a multitude of things, but there is ONE thing that is not in the list … “apathy”. I liked Meleah’s comment using reference to a sibling. So very true!
Hi Speedy! You are so right! Sometimes I think my problem is I care too much about things that others seem to just let slide off their shoulders and I get all worked up. Anyway, I’m glad you and Meleah liked my statement comparing the situation to loving a sibling. Simple idea but so true. And you know, I’m the Queen of loving to keep it simple!
OHHH! I leave a hug here too .. heheee
What a coincidence! I have one here too! We should exchange them with each other!
Here ya go!
HI Teeni! Hope you had a nice Christmas and I wish a fabulous 2011! We absolutely MUST do lunch!
Oh, Care! I feel so terrible about not getting in touch with you - I often think to call and it is never the right time, always too early or too late when it crosses my mind. I will get that right soon though because I would love to do lunch! I miss you! My holidays were nice though and I hope yours were wonderful as well. Hugs to you!
Well said Teeni. However when our countrymen are fighting and laying their lives down for cheap oil rather than their country, I think we have to question the remit of the armed forces.
Worse still, we in Britain are NOT even getting any cheap oil - petrol is more expensive than it’s ever been and still rising, so what are all these deaths for?
In addition Britain and America have sold most of the arms to Iraq that are now being used against us - surely that’s an obscene anomaly which needs to be addressed.
It is not just acceptable to speak out against one’s government when you don’t agree with it, but vital if you are not to end up in a police state where you have NO SAY whatsoever. Use it or lose it applies to democracy as much as any other privilege we enjoy.
Poet, I couldn’t agree with you more! The prices of heating oil and gasoline are ridiculous in the states as well and the only reason I can see is that we are being manipulated. Grr!
Hello Teeni,
It’s such a long while since I’ve popped over to you part of the world. I often think of you and wonder how everything is with you but i rarely get the chance to blog and network much nowadays. I see you have a whole new webiste now. I’ll have to call again to see what you been up to.
Best wishes for the New Year
Penny (aka Ladythinker) of ‘And Who Cares’
Penny! So good to see you! I often think of you also but I totally understand about not being able to visit as much. I am now working too so I have the same issue as far as having less time to blog. Anyway, I’m so glad you popped in and I hope and pray that you are well. Hugs to you!
I liked this post. earthy-crunchy in a good way. All you had to say is very true. All peeps should have open minds like this. maybe we would all argue less.
Thank you Maleesha.
Sometimes I think the simplest solutions get overlooked or clouded by passion in defensiveness.