patriotism

Am I a non-believer just for the heck of it? I don't seem to understand so many of our man-made notions. Of religion. money. marriage. and patriotism.

Patriotic: adjective; having or expressing devotion to and vigorous support for one's country
Source- Oxford American Dictionary

If that is what patriotism is, do I want to be a patriot?
Do I love my country. I guess so. Do I vigorously support it? Not really. Do I complain about it? At times. Do I want to move way from the country? Perhaps. And why? Definitely for reasons that have nothing to do with my disappointment with my country. Is it because I am looking for greener pastures? Possibly. By greener pastures, I just mean places I need to be, to do what I want to do at that given moment. It doesn't matter which country it is. Afghanistan, Somalia would be as much of a greener pasture as the US or UK depending only on what I 'feel' like doing at the moment.

Would I die for my country? I'd rather commit suicide than die for some purpose as useless as dying for one's country! I thank the forces for taking all the pains they do and the sacrifices they make to keep our country safe. I respect the profession they chose but I do not understand why they made the choice. And I'd rather they were home with their families just like me, even if that put all our lives at the mercy of some barbaric conqueror.

How is patriotism different from religious fundamentalism, racism, casteism and regionalism? All are man-made factions. When I think of it, the notion of race, caste and religion, which could all be said to have common underlying cultural and social beliefs, make more sense than the notion of a country, which has far less to do with cultures and has more to do with boundaries and laws defined by men of power. Why is India the way it is? What binds us Indians together? We are a diverse country. Why are we supposed to stand united as Indians? Do we have similar beliefs? Religions? Cultural identities? Couldn't Pakistan, China, Srilanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Burma, Japan, Russia have as well been a part of India? If it were, wouldn't we be expected to be united as a single country? So isn't all this shit about countries, nothing but a line we drew because of some war fought or some differences we had at some time in history? Isn't it all a result of our foolishness?

Why should I be patriotic? What purpose does it serve?
Perhaps patriotism promotes unity. It is something that binds us together. But in this very unity aren't we being disunited with the rest of the world?
Does patriotism protect us in someway? Does it protect us against ill-wills of other nations? Does it protect us against conquests? Does it in turn protect our cultural heritage and identity?

Why are we so insecure about our identities? Why do we think it will be stolen or snatched away from us? Perhaps because it has so often happened in the past that dictators have conquered lands and imposed their laws and religions on the conquered land. But glorifying patriotism provides a solution by emotionally blackmailing people to 'want' to serve their country during war-time. If people really wanted to fight an oppressing power, they would do it the way they wanted to. Doesn't the Russian Revolution or our 'very own' ;) 1857 uprising prove that?

Patriotism is really a sorry excuse for waging wars. If patriotism is a good enough excuse, then so is religious fundamentalism and racism. After all, it is all about fighting for some common cause against other people who might be trying to dominate, convert or opress us.