Nationalism and Patriotism

NATIONALISM Nationalism is a devotion of love for one's country. It means to give more importance to unity by way of cultural background, including language and heritage. It implies to a person that his country is most superior among other countries and he will defend it no matter what. The following are 10 modern and simple ways to express Filipino nationalism: 1. Respect the Philippine flag and value the Filipino identity Being Filipinos, we should respect our Philippine flag and its purpose. The history and value of this flag are connected to the freedom we have today. Encourage our fellowmen to participate and respect our flag and its anthem and even our different symbols. They provide us our identity as Flipinos or citizens of the beautiful Republic of the Philippines. (Wikipedia.com) 2. Be a productive citizen Be industrious and make ourselves productive, not only for ourselves but for our country as well. Serve the people, serve our nation. (google.com) 3. Be aware of the issues in our country We must be aware and updated on the significant issues happening in the country. Extend help to the needy fellowmen, especially the victims of disasters like typhoons, flooding, and the like. 4. Stand proud for every Filipinos achievement Filipinos is globally competitive in many aspects. They are proud to be a Filipino and for the honors they bring to our country. They unite every Filipino for their achievements. We can be proud of Filipinos like Manny Pacquiao, the Azkals Football Team, the Gilas Pilipinas Basketball Team, and many more. 5. Patronize and support our own products The Philippines has rich resources to create quality goods and products. The manpower services we provide are also globally competitive. Our economy will improve more if we ourselves patronize our own products which characterize our creativity, resourcefulness, and industry. 6. Preserve the Filipino culture Philippines is rich in various colorful cultural elements. They are our identity. Be proud and preserve the culture we have for they are our treasure. We have to keep them for the future generation. 7. Respect evervone and value our traditions Filipinos are very courteous and respectful. Even in modern times, many Filipinos show and value their noble norms and traditions. So we Filipinos must continue to exercise these good traditions like respecting our elders and others, by using "po at opo", being hospitable, and being religious. 8. Speak our own language Using our own language is manifesting and preserving our national identity. It is our unique means of communicating and interacting with our fellowmen. Our language is an important tool to achieve further unity and national development. 9. Remember and commemorate our heroes' sacrifices for our country There were many Filipinos who died for our democracy, freedom, and independence. Some fought using their pens and tongues, while some used the power of their arms and weapons. Each had their own way of showing their love and respect to our country. In today's generation, let us value and treasured our heroes sacrifices and devotion for our country. (google.com) 10. Love our family, our neighbors, and our compatriots Love and help one another. That way, we are showing the world that we are proud to be Filipinos. Stand united! Do something to help each other and for the greater good for mother country. Love everyone and love our country as we love ourselves. (google.com) There are many ways to show our love for our country. In our generation, there are things that test our nationalism. What is important though is that we stand united as Filipino people and we love Philippines as our mother country. Let us manifest the essence of nationalism in every aspect of our life. PATRIOTISM Patriotism is a devotion of love for one's country for no other reason than being a citizen of that country. It is a common virtue that pertains to the love for a nation, with more emphasis on own values and beliefs. One who is patriotic will be ready to make any sacrifice for his own country. He will never live selfishly for himself alone. A SOLDIER - DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATIONALISM AND PATRIOTISM Nationalism-This implies a heartfelt dedication for love, care and preservation of the Philippines and everything that is identified with it: The Philippine territory, the inhabitants, the Philippine sovereignty, all things that represent and symbolize the country; the aspirations, hopes, dreams and needs of the Filipino people. Patriotism is taken from the word "pater" which literally means "father". It is the willingness and determination to lay down one's life for the fatherland. It is the result of being a nationalistic. One cannot be patriotic without being nationalistic. Most of us are nationalist but not a patriot. Why? Who do you know that is a nationalist or patriot? Why? As the famous poet Rabindranath Tagore said that Patriotism is more important than Nationalism. A patriot loves his own country but he does not hate the people of other countries. A nationalist might consider his own nation important and hate the people of other nations. A patriot is international in his outlook. He is broad-minded and tolerant. He is a citizen of the world. A nationalist may be narrow-minded. He may think in terms of his own country and hate all those who are not his countrymen. *Food for thoughts" In Philippines, today, we are lacking in patriots largely due to the diffusion of Filipino values, culture, influence of the conquistadores, and the confluence of historical bad governance. The Philippine state is in dire need of statesmen who truly understand the basics of politics-politics is being defined as the systematic study of the state. The state is being defined as having four basic elements: Territory, People (who are nationalistic and patriotic), sovereignty (freedom from foreign dictates) and government (Representative of the people to stand and fight for Filipino interest, dreams, aspirations, and hope. For as long as our political leaders is blinding us of this things, for as long as the Filipino people refuse to learn, for as long as we remain mediocre, for as long as we could not change our self inwardly, for as long we refuse to change, nationalism and patriotism will only be words in dictionary.