Sunday, May 16, 2010

A sense of aversion to 'patriotism'

Presently, I am in depth of Charlie Chaplin's autobiography and I have just met a portion of his personal view, which to some extent matches with mine, although the context and content of it is different.

"The fact that I am no patriot - not for moral or intellectual reasons alone, but because I have no feeling for it. How can one tolerate patriotism when six million jews were murdered in its name? Some might say that was in Germany, nevertheless, these murderous cells lie dormant in every nations.

I cannot vociferate about national pride. if one is steeped in family tradition, home and garden, a happy childhood, family and friends, I can understand this feeling - but I have not that background. At best patriotism to me is nurtured in local habits; horse-racing, hunting, Yorkshire pudding, American hamburgers and Coca-Cola, but today such native yams have become world-wide. Naturally, if the country in which I lived were to be invaded, like most of us, I believe I would be capable of an act of supreme sacrifice."

What is the use of nationalism? And thus patriotism? I myself never perceived the meaning and the urge of it. Does it mean merely loving the place you were born in or appreciating your country's policies and qualities?

A person does not born with a commitment. He is not baptized to appreciate his birthplace if he finds no reasons for that. Rather, if the country has provided a better living place, that is something to be adored.

A country's personality and characteristics are determined solely by its people's morals and deeds. And loving and supporting people of evil intentions and idle characters merely for the sake of having equal nationality or other factors make no sense. That will be the wrong definition of patriotism.

Now some philosophy for the people who has voluntarily abandoned his nation. Departing from the native land with an inner disapproval of its prosperity and opportunity, but not distancing from supporting to that land and simultaneously not feeling the same for his present neighborhood sums up to nothing but the display of a person's mere hypocritical personality.

At the end of it, we would like to love the entire mankind ahead of their nationality or language or religions or other nonsenses which may tally with us; the people with admirable qualities, inspiring achievements and amiable personalities.

1 comment:

Chhaya Awasthi said...

Hmm1 I did not read Chaplin's autobiography, but heard that it good.