A continuation of the last thread. It is basically about if you are patriotic, and if so, why?

Why would anyone die for thier nation ? Your nation could easily change, still want to die for it when it changes to something completely different ?

I would, because I want to preserve a nation that is built upon our Constitution, no matter how much our current government seems to hate it.

More like, die for what my nation stands for, yes a nation can change at any time but the ideas and beliefs that that nation is built upon are what people get patriotic over. I believe in what my nation was built upon and if need be I will fight, and possibly die, to protect those beliefs.

Now that there's a poll, I'll add something in this reply. I'm unsure what to vote, I'd be proud about some things, ashamed of others. I think my nation has made a lot of progress in some areas(and it's got an interesting history), but are now throwing some things away or trying to change things that are already good just because, and ending up making things worse. I've lost some or most of my conviction lately, and I'm not sure if I'm still willing to do anything for the sole reason that it benefits my nation rather than me. I know that I'm pretty insignicant, this won't have any noticeable impact on anyones lives, but I no longer feel that sure about my nation or people being deserving of my loyalty.
Edit: Voted indifferent thanks to the fact that I haven't made up my mind, and no to being willing to die for it.

I am willing to fight and die for my Natural Rights and the Natural Rights of others. I am also willing to support my government as long as they also defend my Natural Rights. As soon as they stop doing that, I have the Natural Right to ignore/fight them.

Even if your nation is in the wrong ?

And like I said, that can easily change. Look at what happened to Germany or Russia.



I disagree about what people get patriotic over. But I wont go into that.

Am I proud of my country and what its built on? Hell yeah I am. Would I die for my country? It depends on the cause. If we are invaded, I'm taking out my pistol and dying to preserve my freedom. If we're going on a genocidal rampage, not so much.

I love our constitution, and yes, I would die to protect it and our country. No matter how much I dislike some stuff we do (and some people in office :down: ) I know that our founders did something great, and I'm willing to lay down my life for it.

Those options are pretty black and white and we live in a world of hues and shades.


Taking pride in a community- caring for it and defending it can help it flourish.
Of course things can and always will change- so the questions asked would really depend on what the current state of a nation or community and what the fighting meant.

you can fight for your nation for change.
you can fight for it to stay the same
there is nothing wrong with either of those- depending upon the context

"die fighting for your nation" is a pretty generic by it self-
now, dieing for something you believe in, which happens to co-incide with goals to provide a stable nation for others to flourish? its called being selfless and if it saved the lives of others, i just might.

I don't see the point in being proud of ones nation just because it is ones nation. Especially when it comes to the sort of blind, fanatical, and unquestioning devotion that seems to be synonymous with patriotism. In other words, no, I'm not proud of my nation(s), while I do like it and admire many of its principles.

1. Indifferent
2. No

I don't hold borders and policy in high regard, as it's a wasted effort to do so. I'd certainly not die, intentionally, to keep the US intact. It's not that I hate the US or anything like that, I just don't see any glory in, what I assume you mean, murdering soldiers from another place and dying in the process. If it was some totalitarian regime or an army of emotionless cyborgs ( which, let's face it, the media will spin any invading force into anyways ) I'd defend myself, but I'd try to get far, far away from the war and actively avoid any militia or similar resistance groups.

A nation's just a name shared by a bunch of people. And as intelligent animals (cats, for instance) realise, you only need a name if you don't already know who you are.

I like some things about Portugal and dislike others. I'd never die for my country, I put my life is above anything else

I take pride in things I have personally accomplished, not in an area drawn on a map or the accomplishments of people in history books. That said, I am happy to live in Canada, there are much worse places I could be.

I think where i differ from most of you is in the definition of a country.
it doesnt just have to be borders.. it can also mean the people within those borders.


as ratlslayer pointed out, a country can change.
but its not (usually) the borders or location on the planet that make that change.
its the people.

that is to say, when a president addresses the nation, he is not speaking to a large body of land, but the people that inhabit it.

My nationality is circumstantial, I don't see much reason to take pride in something I have no control over. On the one hand, it was good luck on my part to be born into a first world nation, on the other hand, much of the advantage inherent therein is the result of standing on the neck of the global south so I'm not too happy about that.