Thursday, July 15, 2010

Patriotism

I was at this temple nearby, praying to the several deities, when i noticed a sanctum dedicated to Bharath Maatha. I am not very sure as to why i felt the shrine to be inappropriate within a temple setting. I agree that this gesture glorifies patriotism and gratitude to the land that nurtures feeds us. Pondering over it, i realized them roots of my discomfort... Patriotism is an arrogant feeling... the patriotic afghan is an enemy of USA, and a friend of all afghani's. a patriotic indian is a friend of all indians, though a rival of the patriotic pakistani... patriotism makes us all pray for victory over our foe at war, essentially meaning that we pray for our foes to be annihilated... needless to say, our foe's include ladies, children and men who are collateral damage... then we feel proud that our flag persisted! We stick stuff on our cars and bikes proclaiming our undying love for the country, and get into stiff arguments with people who are unappreciative of the act... are we missing the BIG picture? please share your thoughts...