Nationalism

The idiotic articles that got me started with this post:

• 03-03-16 - Youth must be told to say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’: RSS chief
• 14-03-16 - I Won't Say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai': Asaduddin Owaisi To Mohan Bhagwat
• 16-03-16 - Anupam Kher: 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' only definition of nationalism
• 16-03-16 - MIM MLA suspended for not saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'
• 17-03-16 - Revoke citizenship, voting rights of those not chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’: Shiv Sena

I have plenty to say on this topic but will try to keep this brief (and attempt to keep it civil).

To start – Nationalism/Patriotism is a thought/feeling/emotion. Either you feel it or you don’t. It can not be / should not be forced. If one feels a sense of unconditional pride towards his/her nation - that is NOT going to change if some people don’t chant the slogans. Similarly, if one doesn’t feel that sense of pride, it’s not going to be instilled by chanting of slogans.

That said, if you do feel that sense of unconditional pride and wish to shout it out from roof tops, there is no reason why you shouldn’t. Just because some people don’t get it, doesn’t make it wrong. You have the right to do it. I may disagree with what you say, but I will always defend your right to say it ~ Voltaire.

However, what you do NOT have the right to is - FORCING this down someone’s throat and insisting on nonsense like a particular chant be made the ONLY DEFINITION of nationalism (and other such idiotic demands).

The same way that YOU have the right to do it, others also have the right NOT TO do it. Unconditional love can not be forced upon someone. Be it love for another person or love for an entire nation.

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There are a few of us who are unable to understand the logic of Patriotism. Perhaps we do not have the correct definition or simply lack the ability to comprehend the implication of the term.

Just because you are born with a particular nationality doesn’t necessarily make that country the best/greatest. Every country has its history/tradition/culture. It’s rather idiotic to say X country has the greatest culture/history/tradition simply because I am a national of country X.

In my view - Nationalism/Patriotism is no different from Communalism/Regionalism. It’s just on a wider/larger scale. At least a majority will agree that Communalism/Regionalism is NOT a good thing (especially for a big country with a diverse population). Rarely (if ever) has something good resulted from notions like X community is best/greatest (simply because I belong to X community) or X region is best/greatest (simply because I hail from X region).

How can one then expect something good to come out from an insistent argument that just because one belongs to X country, that makes it the BEST/GREATEST country and is a matter of PRIDE that MUST be harped on about or chanted for or whatever?! Greatness of any nation in this world is NOT going to depend on the nationality that YOU happen to be born with.