Patriotism can take many forms. Personally, I find patriotism important to one’s life. If you do not have anything positive to say about your country, what is the point of living there? I think patriotism can be very dangerous when it leads to ultra-nationalism, this is often how democracies die.

• A Strong Growth Mindset
• When Is The Next Presidential Debate?
• Sleep…Aka A Huge Waste of Time
• The Full Spectrum of Laziness
• George Washington: An Incredible Leader

Living in the United States and especially being a historian can challenge one’s patriotism because of our sordid (not sworded as in version 1) past. Slavery, civil war, segregation, Hiroshima, Watergate, and on it goes…however, history gives me a lens to view my country from because I have spent a lot of time studying other countries.

I do not think the United States is the best country in the world, but I on balance when judged against other countries, I feel relatively lucky to live here. We have democracy, freedom of speech, the free market, abundant resources and geographic isolation, all of which have allowed us to flourish as a nation. Many countries do not have much of these things, if any. Life in many countries is a bitter struggle made worse by overpopulation and globalization.

I love the people of America, we are a very diverse group, a big noisy family that is trying to work things out. Although we have a lot of social, political, and economic differences, when the chips are down, we come together and make an unstoppable force.

We are a nation of immigrants largely, most of whom have come here to make a good life for themselves, to own a home, to have a good career, to become educated and American. My grandfather’s name is inscribed at Ellis Island we he came here. He worked as a baker for 40+ years to give his family a better life, to me that is what makes America truly great.

Thanks for reading The Lifelong Learning and Education Blog!

---

Discussion Question

1. How do you feel about your country? Do you feel patriotic or not? Do you think America is the greatest country in the world? Why or why not?

---

Additional Resources

1. American Patriotism:
   • The American Patriot
2. Military.com:
   • Military.com
3. Patriot Post:
   • Patriot Post
4. The National Patriot:
   • The National Patriot
5. Patriotic Flags:
   • Patriotic Flags
6. American Legion:
   • The American Legion
7. Stars and Stripes:
   • Stars and Stripes
8. Patriot Depot:
   • Patriot Depot
9. Patriotic Millionaires:
   • Patriotic Millionaires
10. Patriot Wood:
    • Patriot Wood

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (3.5) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com

---

• A Strong Growth Mindset
• When Is The Next Presidential Debate?
• Sleep…Aka A Huge Waste of Time
• The Full Spectrum of Laziness
• George Washington: An Incredible Leader

---