Is Patriotism A Good Thing?

Is patriotism a good thing? In an Indian context, what should patriotism even entail? After all, isn't India a political amalgamation of many different nations?

any form of group mentality is never a good thing in my opinion. I hate "cultural identity" and "love for your fellow man" etc.

OBJ, I agree with you. Enough said.

Originally posted by: old-black-joe

any form of group mentality is never a good thing in my opinion. I hate "cultural identity" and "love for your fellow man" etc.

Originally posted by: xobile

But it doesn't have to be group mentality. It's just a feeling of pride in and belonging to your roots I guess. Even the family structure is a way of organizing people into groups - is that a bad thing?

Good argument. But how similar are family and patriotism? Do you wake up in the morning(not feeling like P Diddy 😆) and say good morning to some stranger on the road? Family are "familiar" to you, hence the name. Here group mentality is more irrational. Sure, people are biased towards they're own family members, but atleast they're related by blood, not just by being in the same country.

Just my thoughts...

Balance is the key in everything. Too much or too little of something is never good, same goes with patriotism. People should be proud of their country, be loyal, good citizens, who care for the welfare of their country. At the same time people should respect other nations, their ways and culture too. People should also be open to criticism of their country and be willing to make changes for the better.

The problem I see with Indians and patriotism is the lack of balance. Some Indians are totally enamored with the west, blindly copy others and tend to unfairly dismiss and disregard several things about India. Some Indians are completely blinded by their patriotism that they look down on foreigners, NRI's, other cultures and refuse to acknowledge constructive criticism.

Compared to some countries that have been around for centuries, India is still young. We are at the stage where the zeal of freedom and patriotism is clashing with growing global influences. Over time things will temper out and Indians will find the right balance in their sense of national pride – learn to take pride in being Indians, while accepting our role as just another part of the global mosaic.

Originally posted by: old-black-joe

Good argument. But how similar are family and patriotism? Do you wake up in the morning(not feeling like P Diddy 😆) and say good morning to some stranger on the road? Family are "familiar" to you, hence the name. Here group mentality is more irrational. Sure, people are biased towards they're own family members, but atleast they're related by blood, not just by being in the same country.

Just my thoughts...

People should be patriotic upto a certain limit. Too little or too much is understating the country who has given you life and other resources in order for you to survive, overstating the status of your country/state/etc, something like SS/MNS.

Originally posted by: xobile

So youre saying that only 'irrational' forms of group mentality are 'never a good thing' and since family is a more rational group, it's acceptable?

Well your family is more specific, but your country is more general.

Honestly speaking, patriotism is nonsense.