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Loving Your Country vs. Loving Your Government?
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
Comprehend
Res Ipsa Loquitur
It is like loving your school or loving the school administration.
Your country is the people, the general population. Loving your governement I would liken to the Stockholm Syndrome.
To love your country is superior. To love one's country is to love our fellow man. It is compassion and unity. It is selfless.
To love your government is selfish. The motivations are opposites. One introverted, one extroverted. One giving, one taking. I believe one should at best tolerate one's government.
By that line of reasoning my country would include Canada, inasmuch as there is no clear cultural or linguistic boundary between the US and the Great White North.
I generally think of government and country as synonymous. A country is the turf controlled by a particular government at a particular time.
I live in the United States, but have serious issues with the US' history of military and economic imperialism, as well as its recent police state trend.
I do not like the United States.
I think loving either government or country is problematic. Rather, I'd recommend loving justice, fairness and co-operation, and supporting a given government to the degree it promulgates these values.
I, myself, acknowledge no government but my own conscience. I am not an "American." At public meetings I remain seated for the National Anthem and mute during the Loyalty Oath (Pledge of Allegiance).I suppose, technically, I'd have to be considered an anarchist.
I consider myself a North American. I love North America and strive to maintain a healthy Natural ecology. I am not anti-social. I'm generally law-abiding, I do volunteer work, and never leave my shopping cart in the parking lot.
I generally think of government and country as synonymous. A country is the turf controlled by a particular government at a particular time.
I live in the United States, but have serious issues with the US' history of military and economic imperialism, as well as its recent police state trend.
I do not like the United States.
I think loving either government or country is problematic. Rather, I'd recommend loving justice, fairness and co-operation, and supporting a given government to the degree it promulgates these values.
I, myself, acknowledge no government but my own conscience. I am not an "American." At public meetings I remain seated for the National Anthem and mute during the Loyalty Oath (Pledge of Allegiance).I suppose, technically, I'd have to be considered an anarchist.
I consider myself a North American. I love North America and strive to maintain a healthy Natural ecology. I am not anti-social. I'm generally law-abiding, I do volunteer work, and never leave my shopping cart in the parking lot.
The Seeker
Once upon a time....
When you say "loving your government", do you mean the type of government, i.e., democracy, or the people running the government, i.e., the Bush administration?
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
It is both easy and understandable to love my country.
It is difficult in the extreme to love my Government.
If you insist in asking about "your" Government then no, I don't even like it.
It is difficult in the extreme to love my Government.
If you insist in asking about "your" Government then no, I don't even like it.
Could I consider a foreign country, a country I have no formal affiliation with "my country"?
For example, if I preferred the values and foreign policies of Denmark or New Zealand to those of my native country would it be proper for me to feel allegiance toward and patriotism for these countries rather than the US? Could I consider myself a Kiwi when I've never been to New Zealand?
I've heard a great deal of criticism of certain Arab governments for their condemnation of apostates. Most westerners claim to support freedom of conscience in religious matters, yet the same does not seem to apply to patriotic affairs. We tend to consider the "crime" of heresy or apostasy to be a sort of barbaric throwback. Yet we still consider lack of patriotism a grievous flaw, and treason a capital offense.
I don't see the difference. Obligatory patriotism violates freedom of conscience as surely as obligatory religious belief. Why would being born in a certain place oblige someone to support the government that chanced to control the region at the time?
For example, if I preferred the values and foreign policies of Denmark or New Zealand to those of my native country would it be proper for me to feel allegiance toward and patriotism for these countries rather than the US? Could I consider myself a Kiwi when I've never been to New Zealand?
I've heard a great deal of criticism of certain Arab governments for their condemnation of apostates. Most westerners claim to support freedom of conscience in religious matters, yet the same does not seem to apply to patriotic affairs. We tend to consider the "crime" of heresy or apostasy to be a sort of barbaric throwback. Yet we still consider lack of patriotism a grievous flaw, and treason a capital offense.
I don't see the difference. Obligatory patriotism violates freedom of conscience as surely as obligatory religious belief. Why would being born in a certain place oblige someone to support the government that chanced to control the region at the time?
greatcalgarian
Well-Known Member
If you know Chinese history, during the governing system of emporer/king, there is a distinctive difference between loyal to the country and loyal to the King. However, all the Kings, in order to continue to rule, always link the idea of being loyal to the country means must be loyal to the king, and then it follows naturally that you must obey everything the king decreed.
Loyal to your country not necessarily means that you must be loyal to the CURRENT ruling government, which may be there through fraught, cheat, or illegally.
Loyal to your country means loyal to all fellow citizen of your country, ready to help your fellow citizen in times of trouble, ready to defend your fellow citizen against injustice etc. But you do not want to defend a corrupt government. You have the right to overthrow a bad government, by the current existing system, or through a revolution. BUT you have no right to ask a foreign power to help you to achieve that.
Loyal to your country not necessarily means that you must be loyal to the CURRENT ruling government, which may be there through fraught, cheat, or illegally.
Loyal to your country means loyal to all fellow citizen of your country, ready to help your fellow citizen in times of trouble, ready to defend your fellow citizen against injustice etc. But you do not want to defend a corrupt government. You have the right to overthrow a bad government, by the current existing system, or through a revolution. BUT you have no right to ask a foreign power to help you to achieve that.
I like your question. I am in Canada and love Canada as a country as the place of my birth and the place of my life. This land has given me my sustanence, my parents sustenance and my grandparents sustanence and therefore we must love and respect the land which has given us this life. This is physical. I believe God will judge us on it.
To love the government is another question because it is not the physical sustanence but an ideology that is in consideration which varies with each election but basically and in general there is little to love in the government due to devious intent and real lack of compassion for the bulk of the citizens which support the very structure which decieves them for gain and power.
Good question! What about looking at it in both lights?