For the past couple of weeks in the United States of America, a silent protest movement has been gaining momentum. Started by an American football player in the National Football League, athletes are choosing to kneel or sit, rather than stand when the National Anthem of the United States of America is played before the start of athletic competition.
The football player in question said that he decided to protest during the National Anthem because the liberty and justice promised by the Constitution of the United States, and represented by the United States flag were not being delivered to all Americans, and most specifically, people of color.
The press and social media have gone into somewhat of a feeding frenzy, and a lot of crazy things are being said. And that is what led me to want to write this post.
I did a little research that I'd like to share with you.
Patriotism is defined as having love for or devotion to one's country.
Nationalism is defined as a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries.
To my way of thinking, patriotism is harmless, love for and devotion to one's country is fine. Nationalism, however, is not harmless. When you start to believe that your country is better and more important than other countries, you run the very real risk of alienating people, and in inciting other nations to try to show you that you are not better.
It is perfectly OK to believe that you live in the best country for you. Or not. But to decide that your country is better or more important? How in the world can that be measured?
And therein lies the crux of the problem. We are all individuals that value different things. Some people might value universal health care more than an interstate highway system. Some people might value a state religion rather than freedom of religion. Some people might value parental leave more than a powerful military.
It is not right or wrong. We are different and value different things.
In the commentary on the football player and his protest, many are saying that he should leave the country. What kind of crazy talk is that? One of the most profound and cherished freedoms in the United States of America is freedom of speech and freedom of expression. You don't have to agree with the message or the method, but if you disagree with the importance of that essential freedom, what exactly do you love about this country?
And that takes me to the pride and hubris part of the post.
Pride is defined as a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.
Hubris is defined as excessive pride or self-confidence.
To be proud of your country is fine. To demand that others be proud of your country is hubris.
Most of us live where we live as an accident of birth. Some choose to move to a country other than the one they were born in, and become nationalized citizens of that new country. Being proud of your country will depend for most people on multiple attributes of life in that country. But loving your country and acknowledging that your country is not perfect can easily coexist.
The easiest analogy I can make is this. I love my mother. My mother suffers from dementia. That doesn't make me love her any less. Acknowledging her dementia allows me to get her the care she needs to have the best quality of life she can.
Acknowledging the illnesses of discrimination, of excessive violence in society, of militarization of policing doesn't mean I love my country less. It just means that I am willing to work to find solutions to these ills.
If you see no ills in your country, I'm happy for you. Be proud. Love your country. But be careful of hubis. Because those who see ills and try to bring attention to them so that they can be cured probably love their country just as much as you do.
I have friends all over the world who love their country. I would never say that my country is the best country on earth.
I will say I love my country and I don't want to live anywhere else. And I appreciate that many other people in many other countries feel the same way.
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