Are you more loyal to the USA or to mankind in general?
I am basically asking about patriotism vs. the family of man.
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The good of your species should always come before the good of your compatriots.
I am more loyal to humankind in general – this encompasses the US
The family of man. I have extremely little need for patriotism.
Although visiting Washington D.C. and watching my son (then 11 years old) fall in love with Abraham Lincoln and devour each museum we entered made me feel more patriotic than ever… closely matched with the jubilant celebration of my neighbors when it was announced that Barack Obama was the new President of the United States.
Nature in general, which includes mankind.
Loyal to the U.S. first. Of course, unless I was asked to do something for my country that would land me in jail. I wouldn’t do well in jail. :(
No family there. No chocolate there and no flutherites there. Plus I ‘m too little to handle bullies or worse and I would fold like a cheap suit under torture.
Hullo Polly!
Definitely humankind. Hands down. I’m 110% sure.
Humankind. I am proud to share a history with the amazing people here in the US, yet I would never feel more loyal to geographic boundaries than I do to human beings.
Well I’m Canadian, but I figure this question could be taken to mean “your country.”
I’m way, way more loyal to mankind than to my country. What is a country? Nationalism makes me queasy.
My loyalty lies with humankind.
I’d like to believe that the U.S. was founded on the ideal of putting human rights and dignity first. Insofar as my country acts in accordance with that ideal, I’m on-board. When it strays, I’m with the folks.
Difficult question for me. I happen to believe that, when it lives up to its ideals, the USA represents “mankind in general.” Look at where the victims of 9/11 were from… virtually every country on the planet. When the US doesn’t live up to its ideals, then it is up to me and the rest of the citizens of America to get it back on track. I suppose you could say that I hold both mankind AND the USA in equal regard.
Man kind, i think the good of the world as a whole should come before the good of one country.
Probably the US. Difficult question. How many people here would fight for our country, even fight for the rights of the people within our country, but not be willing to fight for human rights of people in another country, even if you felt it was worth fighting for? I don’t consider myself a nationalist,but I am patriotic and feel very strongly about America, but it is difficult in reality to be concerned with all of mankind in practice.
@JLeslie… when we’re being true to the ideals of America, and we fight for human rights, we are fighting for the human rights of all people.
I see no logic in being loyal to a land mass. It’s a patch of dirt. Truthfully, the land mass probably deserves it more, but against my will, my heart tugs me towards the upright species, then all other species follow closely behind.
@CaptainHarley That sounds idealistic to me and a little bit like wanting to feel like you are doing something when you might not be doing much. All of the crimes against humanity around the world and you think just being American helps those people?
@Jleslie , One man can only do so much but a group can do so much more. A lot of people on here say they choose humanity but in truth the world is mostly made up of single individuals who look the other way every day. How many people walk by a homeless person and won’t give them a dime or even a sandwich, how many people won’t do court duty because it will disrupt their lives. How many people cut in front of other people in line or snub someone because they look a little dirty. Individually we all rant and rave about changes being needed but unless you vote or are a part of a nation trying to aid others in need than its hypocritical to say one is for humanity. In a way being and American doesn’t help anyone but being a voting american will do more than just being an individual who sits on the side lines and complains.
I say this because my husband works for the government and I get an inside scoop on things and I know a lot of his co-workers. Of the ones I’ve met they are all working very hard to make this country work and make things work for other people as well. But lets be real. If we don’t fix ourselves first, we will not be in any shape to help anyone else.
The US is an imaginary place that exists only in our minds and the product of our perceptions. It’s a big clump of land inhabited by people whose only common factor is living on that clump of dirt.
I have never been good a group think. I guess I just don’t have it in me.
@tinyfaery If only it were imanginary! If it was, there are two things that would have to be for me to believe its all in my mind.
1. I would imagine better human beings living in it.
2. I would never be taxed!
Since I do not live in the USA I will have to go with mankind.
That’s another human issue. Even voting has become nothing more than a platform for pretending (when is the last time our elected officials actually worked the will of the people). They make a big deal of it, but nobody actually trusts them. They’re as smarmy as used car salesmen. Pandora, with all due respect – and I MEAN that – I don’t know what your husband does. But I know YOU, and you are a decent human being. I can only assume that the marriage works out due to shared core values. So voting isn’t enough, either.
What will fix it, we will never have. We need a majority of human beings (let’s start small, and deal with only the US for a minute) working toward a common goal. In this instance, it would be for the purpose of bettering humanity, right? It would be easier to pull a loaded freight train down a gravel road with your teeth, than make that happen. The ONLY thing that makes a large group of people pull together is ANGER. Not love, not compassion, not any warm, fuzzy emotion. We will never emote all over the place with only love and compassion driving us, because that is not directly related to survival.
We can’t pull together long enough to even get healthcare reform to pass, but dammit, try repealing the 2nd amendment and see what happens!! A flurry of paperwork doens’t do shit to motivate a person. For heaven’s sake that’s why the Patriot Act didnt raise a fuss! It took away more rights than the last 80 years combined. But take a gun out of everyone’s hand and you’ve got yourself a nationwide riot.
Geography has nothing to do with my loyalty, humanity has everything to do with my loyalty.
@phillis No offense taken. I understand your view point and agree with plenty of it. Mushy heart warming tales does nothing to motivate people but fear and hitting their wallets does. My actual point was that many sit and complain and say they are for human rights but like you pointed out when it comes to health care reform, its a no go. I would definetly never say there aren’t snakes in elected positions but there are the few who do want whats best and try to find real solutions. Until someone finds a better way of weaning out all the nasty people in power than the only solution that remains if for people to stay vigilant and vote and get involved in making things better. Like I said people even complain about crime or how the law lets things slide by but many try to avoid jury duty. How can anyone make a change if they only sit on their rears. My actual point was that people will say they are for humanity but contribute very little to improving it. Even in a local level.
Bye the way, thank you for the lovely compliment. :) Its awesome to hear someone thinks me a decient human being. I do try but I’m not as vigilant as I should be. I do believe you are the type of person who also tries but like me sometimes gets a little jaded by the bad we see. I do like to hang on hope. Can’t help it. Thats why my name is Pandora. LOL
I’m so glad you weren’t offended. I would have hated that. You’re so right! I DO try hard. But I go about it bass-ackwards, apparently. I do it on a very personal level. I can’t devote time or money to a recognized cause for private reasons (yeah, I know. It would sound like a cop out to me, too), but I am incredibly active in my own ways, unconventional though they might appear. I tend to be an outside the box thinker, so my ways of helping aren’t the normally suggested ways. So be it :)
@JLeslie… No, I said nothing about just being an American somehow being of help to everyone else. I said that when America lives up to its ideals and promise, THAT is of help to all humanity. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being idealistic or having ideals or working for them.
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@ CaptainHarley That sounds idealistic to me and a little bit like wanting to feel like you are doing something when you might not be doing much. All of the crimes against humanity around the world and you think just being American helps those people?
Mankind Polly, thanks for asking:) Good to have you back!!
I am loyal to anything or anyone who hasn’t fucked me.
It’s a day to day thing.
Not strong on patriotism much at all myself. Doesn’t mean a whole lot to me, as we’re all humans everywhere.
That said, I guess mankind, but truth be told, I look after myself first and foremost. I mean it’s easy to say that we’re all concerned about people, the world and type it out on our computers, but how many of us really actually do anything about it?
@Symbeline Awesome! Someones who knows themself. :) Most of the world is like that, only too a many don’t want to face the truth of it because it would mean they will either have to accept themselves for who they really are or they will have to change it.
That would suck! We can’t have that. All that extra work?! Pfffft!!
Can’t we just be one dimensional?
Yeah, but she’s a super bitch. Plus, she gets paid for her extra work. I’d be as deep as the deep blue sea if I got paid for it, too! I polly wouldn’t look as good doing it though.
@phillis I’m pretty sure I’d just end up busting up my own face while tryna perform flips and shit. We’d make a fine pair. :D
ACK, God!! Lack of dignity, much? Christ on crutches…..what a pair! I’d love to see the outtakes on that. Gag reel and popcorn – on me!
@phillis I see what your saying. (bye the way, whens the movie?) It would be tiring.
I’m just tired in thinking I have to change my ways. (I need a nap now)
Maybe tomorrow. I hear its another day. (—.—) zzzzzzzz
I was just kidding about all that. I’m about as multi-layered as they come, and worked my ass off to get it done. I love who I am! I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Sleep well, pandora :)
Let visions of Sym and Phillis doing Xena, Three Stooges-style dance in your head. The world could use the laugh ;)
@phillis I was also joking. I cant’ believe you are still on. I went to bed at 12 midnight and woke up at 5 and you are still here. Do you sleep? Or do you live somewhere, where it is day time?
I wasn’t on from maybe 9pm (that’s a guess) until 3-something this morning. I’m bipolar, and even though it is largely under control (especially the social aspect of it) the sleep patterns will always be a problem. I take 4 50mg diphenhydramine pills (normal dosage is one) before bed every night, trying to make sure I can get to sleep, because I can’t stop the runaway thoughts in my head. But if I get woken up, I can’t go back to sleep.
@phillis That sucks. :( Being that medications or your condition are probably the cause of your lack of sleep, have you ever tried doing something really boring like doing a puzzle or even pushing back your bed time. I know, if I go to bed any earlier than 10 pm , I’m up in the middle of the night. If I’m in bed by 10 then I’m good till 5. If I go to bed by 11 then I can sleep till 630.
When I first moved to Japan and had to live out in town in a home that has very thin walls and shutters that rattle, I had to do puzzles every night before bed so I didn’t notice every sound plus it kept me from thinking about a lot of random thoughts. Eventually, it got to the point where I would just pass out on one puzzle. Sometimes I wouldn’t even make it through half of the puzzle. My mind became conditioned to fall asleep when I would read. The only draw back is now I can’t even dream of finishing a book in bed. I fall asleep on that too. Can’t make it past the first chapter. However you do realize that the computer light can keep you awake for a while before bedtime. I think it was on the show the doctors or something like that. Now I try to log off an hour before bedtime because I noticed I started to have a problem going to sleep if I was on minutes before I sleep. I hope this helps. :)
After @tinyfaery answer I think maybe I was thinking about this wrong. I was thinking originally about the people of the US vs mankind in general. I think the question is actually asking about the country not the people within the country. I was looking at it from a practical matter not a philosophical one. The questions seems like apples and oranges.
I’m not on any meds at all. They kept me up for days at a time. I’m also a writer, and they severely impeded my creativity in numerous ways. When Mr. Bipolar visits my brain and threatens to set up permanent residency, I simply log off social websites until it’s over. It makes me a person nobody recognizes (which is NOT the real me), which in turn makes me feel even worse (not to mention, how other people feel) because I hurt somebody else. I was on meds for 8 years.
The unexpected gift from coming off the meds was that they had allowed me to see when it was a simple mood swing (like what you feel when somebody pulls out in front of you) or something more serious. The intensities are different and my brain feels different, too. I wasn’t aware of those differences before meds. I drowned in every negative emotion and could not view an episodic event objectively. Now, I know it will pass. Before, I thought an episode would be here FOREVER because I couldn’t see that there was any end to it, which made me suicidal every few years or so. I got SO LOST in it.
I just recently find out about computer glare! You are so right, Pandora. I adjusted the screen to the ½ light setting. I’ve been going to sleep with the TV on real low for years and years. It gives me something to zone out to, besides the constant thinking. Oddly, there are times when the 4 pills don’t work in the slightest. Crazy, isn’t it? It’s the price I pay for choosing not to be on meds.
What does your husband do for work?
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