Can one love his/her country and nation without hating others? If yes, how do you achieve it in this time, where being a patriot seems so hostile and hateful towards other nations?

I “love” my country by being a good citizen (or at least trying to be a good citizen) of it. Why should loving your country mean hating other countries?

@trolltoll

I get that feeling a lot where I live. People who call themselves patriots and say they love their country actively hate on other “enemy” nations. That type of nationalism is quite strong here, and it makes me really jaded about the whole thing.

I wish I could say that I love my culture without having it sound like I imply that I hate anyone else.

@Sneki95 are you from Texas?

@trolltoll

No. I’m from Serbia.

“From humanity via patriotism to bestiality” Franz Grillparzer.

You were right the first time Sneki. You can love those things about your country that are lovable and it has nothing to do with any other country. You can also despise certain things about your country at the same time. This doesn’t mean you don’t love it. It just means you see room for improvement. Other people can hate things about your country, too. And you can hate things about theirs. One thing doesn’t cancel another out and everyone has a right to an opinion.

It’s simple. Just refuse to substitute patriotism for abstract thought and you will be fine. Sure I love my country, but patriotism is about emotion, and the emotion has been abused to such an extent that the mere mention of the word should make you immediately suspicious.

The people you described are not patriotic, they are over-patriotic. Those people have unfortunately put their ego alongside with their patriotism. It’s like anything unfavorable happening to their country hurts their ego and they need to defend it. If you like your house so much, does it mean you have to hate all other houses?

Or unless the people you meet are government commentators. In that case I can’t agure with them. They have got to the point where the need to defend their government is so strong their mind just stop working. And there are close-minded idiots too. I’ve met all of the kind before. I’m used to them.

There’s a difference between being a patriot and a zealot, though it does feel like they oft go hand in hand.

Yes, you can love your country without hating others. I think a good example of doing that would be to consider the lyrics to America The Beautiful and what it would signify the citizenry and the world if it were the National Anthem instead of the official one, The Star Spangled Banner
Patriotism, unfortunately, is many times used as a club to beat those who might question the status quo into line. By calling into question a persons patriotism you reduce their worth or their validity of their argument in the eyes of many. One of the best examples of this here in the US was/is the blanket statement “America, Love it or Leave it”. WTF! Is it unAmerican to point out problems that exist or to suggest that perhaps it would be better if we quit interfering in the affairs of others and concentrated on making ourselves and our society a more equitable and sustainable place for all, not just those with political clout or high incomes? Evidently.

Of course you can! In the spirit of good sportsmanship!

There was a Roman senator (I believe it was Cicero, I could be wrong), who wrote about the difference between heartfelt love of one’s county (patriotism)and a blinding love of one’s government (nationalism).

^^To expand on my thought above…

There are a couple slogans that come to mind that illustrate the difference between patriotism and jingoism. During the US’s involvement in Vietnam, the nation was divided between those who supported the war and those who opposed it. On the support side, there were slogans like: “America, Love It Or Leave It!” or “My Country, Right Or Wrong!”

IMHO, these slogans are prime examples of jingoism.

Patriotism, OTOH, is can be much less overt. The patriot is the person who spends time learning about local issues, and then supports the candidate who most closely resonates with his/her feelings on issues. The patriot is the person who volunteers at mealtime down at the homeless shelter, realizing that any person they feed just might capture a glimmer of hope along with the meal. The patriot knows that our strength as human beings is what we have in common, in spite of an accident of birth.

What do we have in common? We all have a desire to live in peace. We also basically have a desire for the common good. We all want to be able to love, and to do something positive for our next generation.

I’m not just talking about the US. I’m talking about the guy from Iraq I chatted with recently; I’m talking about the girl from Vietnam, the cynic from Germany, the cowgirl from California, or the sea captain from the tropical paradise.

I’m talking about our human family.

I love my country by respecting other’s rights to peacefully protest what injustices are going on…after all, that’s what America is supposed to be about.