The Meaning of Patriotism

The word has been tossed about with little regard for what it actually means and for purposes both sacred and profane, but what does it really mean to be a patriot?

Most people confuse patriotism with nationalism, which couldn't be further from the definition of actual patriotism if it were spoken on another planet. George William Curtis:

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

Allegiance to the land is not patriotism. One of the greatest statements of patriotism is the Pledge of Allegiance wherein we express our loyalty to the Republic for which the flag represents. Our Republic is more than just the land: it includes our system of laws which provides for our civil rights, and our way of life as revealed in the promise of the American Dream.

One of the best definitions of patriotism that I have read comes from British historian, statesman, and diplomat (Ambassador to the US from 1907 to 1913) James Bryce:

Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.

In order to be patriotic, we must do the right things because they are the right things to do. It isn't enough that we be a strong country, we must also use that strength for the purpose of good. Robert G. Ingersoll probably said it best: "He loves his country best who strives to make it best."

Ingersoll, by the way, was an agnostic. Which brings me to religion. Patriotism isn't about religion either. Jewish humanist, Rabbi Sherwin Wine:

There are two visions of America. One precedes our founding fathers and finds its roots in the harshness of our puritan past. It is very suspicious of freedom, uncomfortable with diversity, hostile to science, unfriendly to reason, contemptuous of personal autonomy. It sees America as a religious nation. It views patriotism as allegiance to God. It secretly adores coercion and conformity. Despite our constitution, despite the legacy of the Enlightenment, it appeals to millions of Americans and threatens our freedom.

The other vision finds its roots in the spirit of our founding revolution and in the leaders of this nation who embraced the age of reason. It loves freedom, encourages diversity, embraces science and affirms the dignity and rights of every individual. It sees America as a moral nation, neither completely religious nor completely secular. It defines patriotism as love of country and of the people who make it strong. It defends all citizens against unjust coercion and irrational conformity.

This second vision is our vision. It is the vision of a free society. We must be bold enough to proclaim it and strong enough to defend it against all its enemies.

How many times have we heard that dissent is patriotic? What does that really mean? And where did the idea come from? Our founding fathers, it can not be said lightly, had some major points of dissention with England. To wit, they expressed their dissatisfaction with the policies of their colonial masters and ultimately made a Declaration of Independence. Dissent has never been expressed more eloquently since. Perhaps the modern justification for this view of dissent as patriotic comes from failed presidential candidate and former Ambassador to the UN Adlai Stevenson:

Do not regard the critics as questionable patriots. What were Washington and Jefferson and Adams but profound critics of the colonial status quo.

What status quo is being raged against these days? Certainly not the status quo of the appalling regime of Saddam Hussein. The problem with dissent as it is currently being practiced is that the principles for which the dissent is expressed run contrary to the greater good of the nation and the world.

Once war is engaged, the only acceptable end game for a patriot is Victory. How many calls for Victory do you hear amongst those who place themselves in the ranks of the dissenters? What greater good is being served by this dissent? To what purpose or principle does the dissent serve? The answers to those questions tell me all I need to know about which protestors are patriotic and which are not.

Patriotism is many things to many people. How we define patriotism is an important factor in its usage.

NOTE: This piece originally was published during my guest blogging stint at The Jawa Report.