Now that the Olympics are over, I have grown to think a lot about patriotism. Every country gets to show it while competing to see who is on top.

Growing up in the United States, you always hear that patriotism is of the finest qualities you can have. Whether it is accomplished through something as simple as hanging a flag in front of your house, something as silly as wearing your favorite U.S. flag-themed Chubbies, or something as serious as fighting (and possibly dying) for your country; it’s everywhere. As an American, you are saturated with it. But is it necessarily a good thing?

At face-value, patriotism seems the best path to follow. Dictionary.com defines patriotism as a “devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.” You may be saying: “Isn’t that a good thing? I love my country!” By all accounts, loving your country and where you are from isn’t a bad thing. It’s natural! You have to start somewhere in order to have a sense of direction. Where you are from is important. It’s probably where you were born. It’s where you grew up. It’s where most of your memories, good and bad, happened. You live a certain life under a certain culture.

However, sometimes that love, support, and enthusiasm towards your country and culture creates conflict and war. This conflict sometimes leads to both sides doing horrendous things such as the killing of civilians, killing or even using children as soldiers or shields, using biological or nuclear warfare, or simply starving a country into giving up, leaving both sides feeling justified for their actions. Patriotism becomes a bad thing when your love and enthusiasm of your country gets in the way of your humanity and compassion. These atrocities should never be tolerated, even if it is for your country.

While it is easier to conceptualize this as something far away; that your country is doing this to someone else’s country, this line of thought can also apply to domestic issues. Mark Twain is famously quoted for saying “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” It is evident that there are many problems in the United States: There is a corrupt government that listens to their pockets instead of their constituents, an ever growing voice to those who wish to impose racism and white supremacy on this country, amongst many other problems. While it is still important to love your country, it is important to acknowledge these problems and do what is possible to fix them. It is a patriotic duty to allow your country to evolve and improve. This means stopping any support towards any official that ignores this problem and contributes to it for their own personal gain. Malcolm X once said: “You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.”

Looking back at the Olympics, there is a perfect reflection to what patriotism should be like. Everyone is obviously competing amongst each other to see who can come up on top, and each nation has its group of extremely devoted followers. In the end, even though everyone competed with each other, the countries that lost or didn’t quite get the medal(s) they wanted still supported the winning country, with their flag hanging above and their national anthem patriotically playing in the background.

So, the question: Is patriotism bad or good? If the respect for humanity comes before the enthusiasm of one’s nation, then absolutely. It makes life interesting. It celebrates culture and history and promotes happiness. It is okay to stand up for what is right in face of your government, as Mark Twain says. Loving your country doesn’t require loving your government. As long as you can celebrate yourself, your family, and your country without harming others, then patriotism is the best thing you can have.