PATRIOTISM
Patriotism is the love towards one’s native land. Patriot is a person who truly loves and serves his mother land. A true patriot is always ready to even lay his life for the sake of his country. AH of us have glimpse of patriotism but very few who are brave and courageous show it in action.
Patriotism is an inborn quality. It comes out naturally as a fragrance of a flower. It is an internal urge of sacrifice in some of the sake of mother land. The patriot’s blood is the seed to the freedom. Freedom of a country is always achieved by the sacrifice of patriots. A true patriot is always ready and never hesitates for a moment to sacrifice him as well as all he holds very dear to him for the safety and freedom of his motherland. Patriotism encourages and intoxicates a man who drinks it. Once a person becomes a patriot no power on earth can stop him from act being so. The mighty British Empire was forced to leave our country by patriots.
There is no country which has not given birth to patriots. They take birth with one purpose namely sacrifice to the nation. They renounce worldly pleasures. They are not afraid of persecution or do they attach importance to the national riches. They are not afraid of persecution or do they attach importance to the material riches. They care only for the welfare of the state. Our country produced patriots of no less velour or bravery and sacrifice Chatrapati Shivaji, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Tantia Tope, Nana Sahib, Kanwar Singh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopala Krishna Gokhale, and Subhash Chandra Bose etc. were the true patriots of our country. Such noble and thousands of many more were produced time to time till we get independence from the British rule under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi – the saviour of our nation. They worked only for one thing, that was liberating the nation from the foreign rule. They worked untiringly to achieve the Goal. They believed in dying for the cause but never moved away from their aim.
They were the true patriots and their patriotism is not a short and frenzied emotional outburst but the tranquil and steady dedication of their whole life. They were venerated even after death because of their noble deeds. Such true patriots love their country selflessly and work for the welfare, strength, unity and harmony of their country. Such true patriots are the lovers of the whole mankind. They are not compartmentalized like narrow, mean and weird bigots. They are progressive and universal in thinking. They believe in the brotherhood of mankind. Mahatma Gandhi was a patriot of highest degree. He advocated services to humanity are the best form of patriotism to one’s nation.
Patriots of such a noble standing love their motherland more than heaven but those who make patriotism a business they care more for their own welfare than that of their country. In times of crisis such false patriots are greatest profiteers. Regarding such people say Samuel Johnson said that, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”. Most probably for the same reason George Bemad Show said that “You will not have quite, world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race”. Similarly Gay De Maupassant felt that “Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from which wars are hatched”.
Patriotism used for selfish ends in false one. True patriotism is a noble quality. Patriotism used for the uplift of the suppressed and fighting the injustice is the true one which is venerated and appreciated as a virtue.