Reflection on Patriotism

Patriotism is part of my school education ever since kindergarten. Every Monday, we would display our national flag and sing the national anthem. But most of the time, it was only an abstract concept. Now I am in Singapore, I have experienced real patriotic feelings in my heart more often than in my homeland. When my friends and I hear a foreigner talking about China negatively, we will argue with him unanimously and emotionally to uphold our government’s policy even if sometimes we can’t justify ourselves. I am sometimes confused: Why, back in China, when Chinese people criticize China in the same way, it won’t feel that evocative?

On Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, patriotism is defined as love and devotion to one’s nation. The definition varies according to the development of human civilization, geographical differences, cultural or political contexts. However, the question is how does patriotism, as a virtue, come into being?

In prehistoric times, there was no concept of patriotism yet. People belonging to different tribes fought against each other for the ownership of limited resources such as a well to sustain their living. The fiercest warrior is rewarded with more food and adored by the whole tribe. Obviously, without a loyal fight for one’s tribe, the whole group would starve to death. Unable to survive as an individual, people gave up domestic dispute temperately and sought cooperation within the tribe to clear up the outside threat together. Then there was a need for a spirit that can unite the whole group in times of emergency. Hence people were encouraged by their ruler to regard defending the interest of their own group as a self-evident virtue demonstrated with selflessness. Nevertheless, it is actually resulted from the instinct of self-protection and self-concern.

Nations without this spirit are more likely to fail in their wars with others or be destroyed by domestic up-rise to reallocate the natural resources and social wealth. During the process of civilization development this idea was gradually promoted into a broader concept that not only entails the defence of the territory, but also the preserving of the unique culture and tradition which are essential for the domestic stability. This gave rise to humanity and beneficence in patriotism. As time passed by, the idea was passed on from generation to generation and eventually evolved into part of the virtue education for the offspring.

In that sense, patriotism is a weapon when crisis occurs. The crisis can either come from conflicts caused by limited wealth and resources or from natural disasters that overwhelm people as a group of human-beings who are fighting against ruthless nature.

My hometown, Sichuan province was hit by a 8.0 magnitude earthquake last year. During that time I could personally feel a nationwide surge in patriotism. People demonstrated in public places in support of the government. In Chengdu, the queues of volunteers donating blood even blocked the traffic. The unprecedented unity and a sense of charity rekindled the community spirit which was dying down since the reformation and modernization policy.

In the face of overwhelming natural disasters, human-beings realize that they are still fragile creatures who are at the mercy of the nature. People of the region affected can’t count on other nations to relate to their grievance or expect unlimited assistance. The only means to survive as an individual is to first survive as a group. That is why we can always observe a surge in patriotism when disaster occurs.

Though most people regard patriotism as a holy virtue and grudge associating it with selfishness. In my opinion, patriotism is originated from self-concern and is the highest form of self-affirmation. By upholding the interest of the nation as a whole, we are making others identify the value of our nation. If a nation’s value is highly respected, as one of its citizens, the individual’s value will also be acknowledged and respected. If a nation can’t keep itself afloat, there is no guarantee for private property or personal safety.

Yet in a relatively stable domestic environment we lack the awareness of a potential threat and the sense of emergency which can evoke self-protection and self-affirmation, hence less demonstrations of patriotism. That is why I feel less patriotic when I was in China. Patriotism is in fact a kind of love and devotion that we select subconsciously to demonstrate under fatal circumstances. Though the origin of patriotism is selfish to some extent, it results in the well-being of the whole region and a promotion of the community spirit.