What is a patriot? Meaning of the word

The article tells about what a patriot is, what patriotism means, what it can be useful to those in power and what forms it has.

Ancient times

Even at the very beginning of the times, when our ancestors began to lead a more or less social way of life and were divided by tribes, many understood that it is much more profitable and safer to hold together than to lead an isolated way of life. And, by the way, such things as mutual assistance, kindness and concern for loved ones, as a result played a huge role in the evolution of our ancestors.

Much later, when the first prototypes of states were created, people began to unite on the basis of their origin and state, religious or other affiliation. It was then, according to the assumption of sociologists, the first rudiments of such a phenomenon as patriotism arose. So what is a patriot? What are and how different are these people? In this we will understand.

Definition

To begin with, let's look at the terminology. According to the dictionary, a patriot is a person who is guided by a moral or political principle, the meaning of which is to love his country or state. This feeling also makes the patriots defend their homeland during the war, defend its interests in every possible way, and if necessary, put the needs of the fatherland above their own. Patriotism is the ability to give life for the good of its people, for its further prosperity and independence. So now we know what a patriot is.

This feeling can be based not only on the love of the whole state, but also on a region, region, or region. This is especially evident in multinational countries, where many people live with their own culture, language, traditions and customs. And one of these states is Russia. It seems that now it is clear what a patriot is.

Forms

Like many social or political manifestations and beliefs, patriotism has various forms. They depend on the particular person, his activity and character.

Moderate patriotism is characterized by the fact that its bearer simply feels love for his homeland. In case of acute necessity, for example, during the war, it is defending it and defending the interests of its people.

To the middle one can include its more "aggressive" character, when a person builds his life on the basis of his patriotism. For example, he aims at working in patriotic political parties in political parties, regularly participates in public life and actions whose aim is to improve the standard of living or appropriate agitation. In a word, a patriot is a person who is not indifferent to the fate of his country.

Well, the last manifestation is the most radical. Its characteristic features are that patriots often look for those guilty of the misfortunes of their country, the low standard of living of the people and offer to act with radical, harsh and even cruel methods, placing above all the welfare of the state and their fellow tribesmen. Gradually, this kind of belief turns into Nazism, and nothing good does not end there, it is enough to consider the example of Germany in the period of 1933-1945. Fortunately, in almost all countries such radical activities and Nazism are prohibited, which in the bud eradicates possible negative consequences.

Nowadays

Now it is increasingly possible to meet the view that patriotism is an obsolete and generally unreasonable phenomenon, which in fact only prevents people from expressing themselves and is a kind of control method on the part of the state. Simply put, there is no sense in doing something for your country, it's more profitable to simply emigrate or live on the principle of "my hut with the edge."

The statement is controversial, and it should be decided by everyone for themselves. People - the patriots of Russia - in times of world wars have repeatedly demonstrated how important this feeling is for the common good.