Patriotism....

"Patriotism... is a superstition artificially created and maintained through a network of lies and falsehoods; a superstition that robs [us] of our self-respect and dignity, and increases arrogance and conceit." - Emma Goldman

Someone's comment during the weekend got me thinking about this.

She said: "I can't even count on both hands how many times my patriotism was questioned because I didn't happen to agree with everything that's going on." (MsPea)

And I can't even count how many others I've heard say the exact same thing!

Patriotism has always been a bizarre concept to me, largely because I think of national boundaries as being rather strange. While I understand the need from a geopolitical perspective, it makes no sense to me on a "gut" level. There is no feeling attached to it. I don't know what patriotism feels like and I can't imagine it.

I tried to grasp it. Since I've certainly been rather open here about the fact that I will be spending the rest of my life in Thailand, I wanted to get a sense ~ internally ~ of how that feels. Did I feel as though that means Thailand is the best place in the world?

No. It's just right for me.

Does that mean that I must support everything Thailand does in the world?

No. Not at all. Some of the actions of that government are just as useless and stupid as the actions of government everywhere else.

Does that mean I am required to support its national boundaries?

No. I have to obey the laws of the region. I can't go into Laos without a passport but that's legal stuff. I'm talking about internal senses of identity.

Hearing the name "Thailand" is useful for one thing.

It defines location.

Most people, upon hearing it, will know that it is located in southeastern Asia, that it borders the Andaman sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It's south of Myanmar and north of Malaysia. For those who are geographically inclined, it will give information about the weather. Perhaps it will give some information about the kind of land it is and the agriculture it supports.

That's really about as useful as it can be.

Beyond that, it is an arbitrary name, assigned by one government or another in the 1930s. It doesn't tell me anything more than that.

And is frankly meaningless beyond that.

I am drawn to the way of life there ~ but the way of life doesn't end at an arbitrary border. Having made more than one visa run in that region, I feel fairly safe in saying there is no sign at the border that states, "the culture ends here".

But pride in a location?

I don't get it.

What about you? What does patriotism mean to you?

~*