A Problematic Definition of Patriotism

Daily writing prompt

Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?

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I’m not sure there is a right way for me to answer this prompt.

Am I patriotic?

I would never betray my nation by divulging its secrets to a hostile foreign power. I don’t have access to any state secrets but if I did, I could be trusted to maintain that confidence.
However, I would be amenable to living in another country and perhaps ultimately becoming a citizen thereof. I love human beings more than I love nation states.

What does being patriotic mean to me?

In the year 2026 and in the United States of America, what does being patriotic even mean? Who are “the patriots” of our nation? And with which party are they associated, Democrats? Republicans? Independents? Subversives?

Are you asking about my feelings toward an idealized vision of my country, or its current reality?

Are you asking if I adhere to the “traditions” of a political construct or the culture and customs of an actual people group?

Are you asking about my allegiance and obedience to government functionaries, or my love for and loyalty to my countrymen?

Are you asking if I worship military and economic power structures?

So, I don’t know. I don’t even know what patriotism means in the current paradigm.