Patriotism-A single word with many implications

A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.-George William Curtis

The dictionary defines patriotism as "love and loyal or zealous support of one's own country." The problem with this simple definition, according to Robert Jenson is if we feel superior simply because of where we live, "Are we truly internationalist? Can we go beyond patriotism? Or, in the end, are we just Americans?" Are we truly for peace and justice? Or just our own interests? Consider the idea of political realism in which the interests of other nations are largely irrelevant, except instrumentally. I agree with Jenson that the term “patriotism” has become a word without much value in America today. However, to throw away concepts such as loyalty and pride which were initially entailed within the word ‘patriotism’, I believe is unrealistic. The problem is not patriotism in its prime, it is human tendency to confuse loyalty and pride with superiority and supposed obligation to a single region, culture, ideal, etc., rather than the ever-expanding circle of humanity.

But how can an individual, a patriot, fulfill his or her obligation to humanity without sectoring beliefs or acts based on culture or region and therefore resources, government, and opportunity which stem from natural societal differences? Location, location, location. Loyalty to a landmass is quite different than loyalty to that particular regions ideals and values which are rooted in a specific place coincidentally and therefore uncontrollably. We can only be loyal to ideas due to the uncertainty of the state of a nation at any given time. Pride in and loyalty to such ideas as democracy and freedom can be taken as respect for a particular region simply because this region is the only one of which a person knows and experiences that possess such qualities. However, there is no specific evidence that these ideals hold true to America and only America. As Jenson suggested, all human beings are capable of comprehending if not practicing such morals.

There is a fine line between selfishness and non-arrogant pride. (As long as pride for one’s country or any other form of matter or idea realizes that it is not superior, I believe it can be useful and justified.) When crossed, the chaos of war and ignorance emerges. People begin to place their reasoning for patriotism on George Bernard Shaw’s idea that “Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.” This is simply ignorance. It is t he assumption of superiority because of location and therefore opportunity and (for the individual) luck. When this ignorance is applied internationally, a stubbornness forms and humanity as a whole may suffer in the end.