PATRIOTISM. A word so strong, a word that is ingrained in all of us, a word that can unite us, but also a word that can divide us. This world we live in, is divided, divided by borders, divided by nationalities. When there were no boundaries, when the term “country” did not exist, we were all one, we were all humans living in a common home called ‘earth’.

I am not attributing the love for your country to something evil but at the same time, I am not suggesting it is something purely good. It appears to depend on how one defines patriotism. Is patriotism supporting your country and its guidelines through everything at all times? Or is it being able to criticize it when needed for the advancement of the country and the rest of the world?

If you support a country that promotes love, equality, justice for all, respects a person’s individual religion or sexuality, one that advocates freedom, then you are not any different from a philanthropist.

However, if you are standing alongside a country that believes it’s OK to discriminate based on the color of skin, sexuality or religion or threatens to harm those who oppose these beliefs then I would have to assert that this kind of patriotism is nothing but destructive.

A patriot is often defined as someone who is committed to serve/defend the country and its principles, so when I made the decision of leaving the country to pursue my future in a different country, I was labeled ‘unpatriotic’. Pursuing my education and career in a different country meant serving a country that was not mine. I did not leave my country because I wasn’t grateful enough or because I didn’t love or respect my rich heritage, I left my country because my service or loyalty was not demographic specific, I left my country because I saw something beyond patriotism.

I do understand how the world has changed and so have the political and historical situations, but there is something bigger than all of these developments, bigger than patriotism and that is humanity. Just like it sees no color or religion, it is blind to boundaries. These boundaries might be bound to exist due to the social conditions we are living in, but the boundaries do not exist to separate us. It is when these borders deepen, we start treating “foreigners” as aliens rather than fellow human beings.

When one sees flaws in his own home, he is estranged rather than being understood, when one seeks to help the other who is not their own he is looked down upon rather than being celebrated as a hero.

All of us are humans who need help like anyone else and who should help like one should and a border should not stop us from seeking help or from extending a helping hand. When we look ahead, towards the future, we think of development, however, it shouldn’t be a competition, rather it should be a collective effort where everyone moves ahead together in every field because after all we still are living in a common home called ‘earth’.