What is Nationalism? and Why is Nationalism?

It is not very clear what does nationalism actually mean for an individual. Is it to love a particular nation and to hate a particular nation or nations? When someone loves a particular nation, he has to love to hate all other nations en bloc. Love is such a blind thing! So you love your nation and hate mine. Is this a good proposition to propose one thing to dispose the other? The power-that-be has always parroted the idea of nationalism in close relation to patriotism this way or that way. This is a knee-jerking idea they cherish throughout their career of statesmanship. This is truly crafty enough to condone their every feat and features of evil designs.

Once you are smitten by faith and fashion of nationalism, you are called a true patriot. Patriotism comes hand in glove with nationalism and they are two sides of the same coin whatever value the coin is embedded with. They come handy to each other. When there is national crisis, you are offered to lay down your persoanl grievances and sufferings at the altar of patriotism and you are on a roll. Again, when your patriotism is at precarious stake, you have got to roll back on your nationalism and you get confused which way to roll backing in the end. This is the crux of the problem you face so far as your nationalism and patriotism are concerned.

In the fitness of things, it turns out that the powers-that-be and elites of the society are the dream merchants of nationalism and patriotism. They hawk these ideas to their citizens as being the cool customers of their dream merchandise. It is even more dangerous when it comes to war and rebellion. The citizens are driven to the point of jingoism by their plain skullduggery they are brainstormed in way they are prompted and even forced to side with them just to perpetuate the status quo. This is what they call nationalism or patriotism.

The paradigm of nationalism and nationalsm acts as a ploy at the hands of so-called nationalists and patriotics to hoodwink the common people. This political ploy should be undestood and realised in a truly politcaly correct conviction.