> Rant number 2 - What is partriotism?

First I thought I'll post this in the previous thread, but since the topics are different, I had made a separate thread. Also, this is much more different.


So, after going through the usual news headlines about fighting, dying, civil unrest etc, I was thinking about what I personnaly felt about the whole thing. My thoughts boiled down to a very core question - What do you mean by Patriotism??

Instead of being vague about it, I decided to consult the dictionary.
Hmmm...so it means we have to love and defend our country. So what is this country?

This keeps mentioning "nation". What is that?

So basically, our forefathers all came together and drew some lines on the map. And since I was born on this side of the line, I'm supposed to be patriotic to this country. And someone who is born on the other side of the line, is supposed to feel patriotic to his country.

Hmmm.....I'm not able to put down exactly what I want to say. Let me ask you a question, and depending on your replies, we can take this discussion forward.

As patriotic Indians, we all take pride in the Taj Mahal. But my question is, why shouldn't we be proud of the Eiffel Tower, or the Great Pyramids, or the Statue of Liberty, or of Moenjodaro or Taxila?

Read a nice Calvin&Hobbes the other day.
Q: What is the significance of the Erie Canal?
Calvin: In the cosmic sense, probably none.


From space, we can't see any boundaries.


Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace - John Lennon

In fact it is said that religion is the opium of the common people....In all of human kinds history religion has been the cause for the maximum human deaths....I have never understood the need for religion and will probably never do...

Don't get me started on religion now.......

patriotism isn't the root of evil today, religion is. There is this documentary by the same name "Root of Evil", see if you can get a copy.

Oi! When did I say patriotism is evil? Did it come out that way? Hmmm......

BTW, very nice siggy

Creedy: Bollucks! We have guns!
V: No, what you have are bullets; and the hope that when your guns are empty, I'll not be standing.
Bad guys: Bang bang bang bang!
.
.
.
.
V: My turn

Well it looked to me as if you were laying the blame of probs on patriotism If it weren't for patriotism we wouldn't be free today i guess.........

^ If it weren't for patriotism, wouldn't you still want to be free?
Patriotism had business with the freedom movement as a symbolic more than anything else.

Patriotism and religion are some of the most basic things wrong with us a race. One divides our world, the other divides our minds.

I think the following run sums up religion perfectly...

I'm not blaming anything. This is supposed to be an open ended discussion. Actually, I'm not 100% sure what I want to say

Saumil is right, though. What does patriotism have to do with fighting for your freedom?

Patriotism is Nimbus allowing DD to telecast matches live. Nimbus is unpatriotic.
From now on, that stupid argument will serve as the benchmark of patriotism.

huh??