39. On Patriotism:Is it a noble virtue, or a tool for keeping the masses ignorant?

We often chant hollow patriotic slogans, yet who truly ponders what patriotism means to love? Is it the nation itself? But what is a nation? The establishment of a nation necessarily requires three elements: people, territory, and government. Without people, there can be no territory; without people, there can be no government. The value of territory and government lies in enabling the people to live better lives. Therefore, the people are the core of the nation. Since the people are the core, the essence of patriotism is loving the people—loving all fellow citizens around us. Loving one's fellow citizens means never committing crimes against them or harming their interests. Thus, one who commits crimes against fellow citizens cannot be patriotic; one who harms fellow citizens' interests cannot be patriotic. Therefore, judging whether someone is patriotic requires only observing whether they infringe upon fellow citizens' interests. Patriotism is loving one's fellow citizens—this is its true essence.

Yet since the concept of patriotism emerged, the imperial court has sought to redefine it as love for the monarch, making loyalty to the ruler and love for the nation inseparable. Monarchs claimed to embody the nation, thus equating patriotism with loyalty to the ruler. After monarchy was abolished, governments similarly redefined patriotism as devotion to the state apparatus, arguing that since the government represents the nation, loving the government equates to loving the country. These interpretations systematically abstract and sanctify the concept of the nation, blurring the distinction between what constitutes the nation and what constitutes the government. They subtly condition people to equate the government with the nation itself. In reality, these two concepts are fundamentally distinct. For instance, China is a nation that has existed continuously since mythical times. Yet throughout its history, hundreds of governments of varying sizes have come and gone. These governments perished, but China endured. Following the logic of each successive Chinese government, they would constantly tell their subjects that if the government collapsed, the nation would collapse, and the people would perish. The reality, however, was that after the Qin Dynasty fell, the Han Dynasty saw its people prosper; and after the Qing Dynasty collapsed, the Chinese people no longer had to kneel. Therefore, the fall of a government does not equate to the demise of a nation, much less the destruction of its people.

Any regime that interprets patriotism as love for the government is inherently evil, serving only the interests of a ruling elite. For only an evil government, dedicated to serving its ruling class, would use the slogan of patriotism to deceive the people.

A democratic regime will always teach its people that patriotism means loving every fellow citizen around them—not loving an abstract nation, and certainly not loving the government. Patriotism is noble. If every citizen can love their fellow citizens and refrain from harming their interests, such a nation will be invincible. Patriotism is not so profound; treat every fellow citizen kindly, and you are a great patriot.