What is the role of patriotism?
The dictionary defines patriotism as,"devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty". The role of patriotism is that of loyalty to one's nation.
What are the contending loyalties you experience on this topic?
What this question should ask is where the line is between loyalty to one's nation and loyalty to one's core values(family, religion, etc.) For example, let's say that an individual's family member commits a crime. Where do the allegiances of said person lie? It would depend on the situation. If the family member committed a crime such as murder, perhaps the individual would side with the nation. It would depend on the severity of the crime committed. A prime example of this contention is World War I and World War II. Canadian men and women were forced to fight. A pacifist would believe that fighting is not necessary to gain peace. The government would still force said pacifist to fight, and they would have to find their own balance between their loyalties.
What are the benefits and drawbacks to Canadian loyalty?
One of the benefits to Canadian loyalty is that you always have Canada to fall back on. Being loyal to Canada means that you have those social programs and government-run initiatives that you need or want. One of the drawbacks is that in some cases, your national loyalty has to come first. You have to do what's best for your nation, even when its not what's best for you.
A current global issue that demonstrates this is the situation with the European Economy. Greece is having to vote on a bailout package, that if chosen will eradicate its social programs. Education, among others, will be cut. Some religions highly value education, and if your national loyalty has to come first, you are going against your religious loyalty by deciding to vote for that bailout package.
The truth is that the line between loyalties is a fine one, and it takes a lot of thought to make decisions that truly satisfy all parties involved.
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