Patriotism good or bad??????,

Patriotism is the love of one's country.It is a divine spark in the human breast.It teaches a man to love his own native land more than anything else.A patriot thinks no sacrifice too great for his country;he is even prepared to die for his motherland.

Patriotism is a real virtue.The Sanskrit proverb says that your mother and motherland are greater even than heaven.In our country's distress or danger we should be ready to stand by her,to work for her,to lay down our lives for her if needed.Has she not nursed us on her lap,nourished us of her plenty and sheltered us in her warmth?Not to love one's country is ingratitude indeed.

A bigoted patriotism is a perpetual reason of war.and this patriotism grows whenever there is war.Therefore the wise Chinese  philosopher Lao Tze,called it is a bad and harmful feeling and 'a stupid   doctrine'.World war 2 began with Hitler's boastful and aggressive patriotism.All war are born of similar sentiments.George Washington,than whom there cannot be a great patriot.Once wrote to a friend ,"A great and lasting war can never be supported on this principle alone".Bernard Shaw said,"You  will not have a quiet war till you knock this patriotism out of the human race".

Patriotism often makes us unjust,unfair and ungenerous in our estimate of other people.Every nation,every race has something definite and distinctive to contribute to the cultural heritage of world.It is foolish to say that anyone nation has all monopoly of god's good gifts.There was a time when our leader spoke of India's mission of spiritualising the world and the sentiment was applauded because it appealed to the patriot in each one of us.But all missionary zeal that draws its inspiration from national self love is wrong.No nation has a monopoly of the virtue.Patriotism must be sobered by a proper respect for other people's culture.

Above all,whenever we are ready to launch forth in a career of national proud,let us not forget Edith Cavell's wise words:"I should not have  hatred or bitterness toward no one".That is what Mahatma Gandhi announced from behind the bars.Patriotism is good,but it is not supersede the feeling of universal love  for all humanity.It should develop our mind to the growing concept of "One world".

The fact is that we often mix up patriotism with mere nationalism.If we could keep this distinction clear,patriotism will never mislead us into vain glorious boastfulness.A writer once told that the while"patriotism was lively sense of collective responsibility,nationalism was a silly cock crowing on its own dunghill".Nationalism is a kind of geographical parochialism that shuts the door on the rest of mankind.We know the brand and should keep clear its evils.

Patriotism does not lie in thinking that own's country is the best.We must love our own country,but we must not hate any country or people.The true patriot must respect other countries because he respects his own.He should be ready to learn from them,to help them,to co-operate with them.Then gradually patriotism will be superseded by the cult of universal brotherhood.