Home and Patriotism
What have we achieved as a nation? I think this is a very serious question we should ask ourselves before we can think about how patriotic we really are.
Yes, this nation is my home. But I also feel it is more 'home' to some people than to others. This is the trouble with my home.
Since the publication of a previous post regarding patriotism I’ve had many comments (outside of the blog) and every single one of them was in agreement that patriotism – the very concept is alien to us. This is of course nothing that I am particularly happy or proud of. The fact is it is a sad thing to admit one’s self to.
I too get the 'home' sweet home feeling when I arrive from a trip abroad. But is that patriotism? That in my opinion is not love for the nation. It is sort of like the feeling I get when I am abroad and have to sleep on a different bed. I miss the bed at home because I’m so used its comforts and discomforts. It does not mean I love my bed.
If there is one thing that this nation has achieved it is to do with the God given natural beauty. We are told from time to time that we’ve won some Best tourist destination award. That is all well and good. But is it really an achievement of the people? I think not.
But seriously, what have we achieved? Take sports for instance. We've never excelled in sports on a regional level let alone any level for that matter. After decades of football training we were beaten to a shameful world-record breaking loss by Iran (I think) in 1995 (if I recall correctly). Take any athletic event in the SAARC region for that matter and you’ll cringe in shame. I do not think winning the regional carom or coconut tree climbing championships is hardly anything to blow our trumpets about.
If anything it tells me that we’re yet to come down from the trees.
Worse still is that we've had quite a few excellent citizens earning commendable academic qualifications but it is seldom that they were ever recognised by the government. Our national award of recognition in various fields has raeesul jumhooriyya stuffed up its arse. Maybe I am uninformed, but has the government ever funded any of these achievers save for a box of chocolates and a medal?
And is it not true that for many decades ordinary citizens were not allowed to hoist the national flag in their home. I don’t know the current rule on this but I think I can make the distinction between Ahmed Average and a minister without having to hoist the national flag in the latter’s home. The truth is now nobody wants to hoist the bloody flag anymore. Why?
It has lost meaning and the connection to us ordinary folk long ago. Now the flag is nothing more than a symbol to help us make the distinction between ordinary folks and those that have shamefully betrayed the very citizens they solemnly took oath to serve honestly and truthfully.
We don’t know it but we have been decaying a slow and painful decay swimming in and swallowing the lies of a selfish few. This is the few that over decades and decades have made us blind to truth, stolen our patriotism, belittled and made us helpless minions - not proud citizens. How can a nation foster patriotic citizens when it has forced the same citizens to beg for basic rights and necessities for living? The irony is that we honestly believe we have to beg, bow and crawl.
I think that patriotism isn’t about feeling homesick or that longing to come home. It is a deeper unquestioned love and faith one gives to their nation regardless of their race, religion or social status (take America or Australia for examples). It is the feeling we should get knowing that our nation has stood by us, provided us and given us in our best interests and that we should therefore stand by our nation unconditionally.
And that is what I'm talking about.
M | October 12, 2006 5:29 AM | Reply
"It is the feeling we should get knowing that our nation has stood by us, provided us and given us in our best interests and that we should therefore stand by our nation unconditionally."
That is the biggest joke that patriotism has to face. Of course one can claim anything, like Maldives or USA or Aussie actually stood by their people in their people's interests.
We have yet to get a even a sense of nationalism. Besides, we have our "ebbai wantha kamaai ebbaeh wantha kan" to make up for this lack of patriotism.
Perhaps this will come true when people can get to make ends meet in their drudges of life here.
Ismail Rasheed | October 12, 2006 6:20 AM | Reply
Thanks for another great post on the "state of the nation".
"few excellent citizens earning commendable academic qualifications" do not have or have not been able to contribute what they learnt abroad in the Maldives. We have people with all the highest qualifications from the best universities around the world. Has that helped to change lives for the better? My answer is no.
muhammadh | October 12, 2006 7:02 AM | Reply
Hoist the Maldiviant flag? That thought freaks me out man!
btw. i'd like a copy of the Maldives vs Iran match --anyone, that's some achievement. I'm so proud of it. Maldives --small but very visible when it comes to numbers. (2mb webhosting, 20 million divorces, losing by 11 goals in a worldcup, 10 million people pulling ribbons :p, 15 million divers taking a break) --and i'm sure i left something out, can't remember --my glucose level is running out!
Azlifa | October 12, 2006 7:24 AM | Reply
We do not feel patriotic about Maldives.
We are all waiting and praying for Palestine to be liberated.
Now you see where our patriotism lies - in Palestine.
Until Palestine is liberated we will not be free.
missy | October 12, 2006 8:55 AM | Reply
"I think that patriotism isn’t about feeling homesick or that longing to come home. It is a deeper unquestioned love and faith one gives to their nation regardless of their race, religion or social status (take America or Australia for examples)."
Love and faith not to their nation mate. Its the love and love and love you love the fellow people of the country, the citizens. In Australia ..all Australians love other Aussies. They wont standby to see another Aussie being humiliated. They wont tolerate an unfair go. They wont step backwards. When they go to another country they walk in the middle of the road..so that all others including the fellow mates know that they are aussies. What do we see in Maldives. Backbiting,bickering and humiliating other feloow country men. For me Maldives is just another place like any other place on earth except for Australia. Australia has given me everything i ever dreamt of. Australia loves me. Australia accepts me the way i am.And i love Australia and its people and call Australia my Home today.
hatheeb | October 12, 2006 9:14 AM | Reply
muhamed: 380,000 islands. every man being an island.
Mahindra | October 12, 2006 9:27 AM | Reply
When I see the American flag I feel patriotic. I start humming the Woody Guthrie song, "This land is my land. This land is your land".
When I see the Maldvian flag, I realise this is where I am. Bound, like the flag, to its post and tied up.
hatheeb | October 12, 2006 9:45 AM | Reply
Ms. Azlifa, our petriotism lies with the Islamic Ummah.. islam does not recognise the ceoncept of nation-state and nationalism. Give it all up for the Ummah. liberate Palestine, Kashmir, chechnya, cyprus, thailand, australia. convert and bring these areas into the Ummah.
Irfaan | October 12, 2006 12:03 PM | Reply
Re; comment by Ismail Rasheed.
I agree with you. This is a qusetion we should ask in public forum.
What has our educated elite given us?
M | October 13, 2006 4:48 AM | Reply
That comment on Ummah... "convert and bring these areas into the Ummah." ... sounds like the Borg. "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile". Hehe.
Our educated elite tried to remain elite, preventing any other elite from eliting. Thus Maldives became stagnant like a chaka gandu.
Why be patriotic when you can be renegade?
jaa | October 16, 2006 8:56 AM | Reply
simon,interesting post as always :) anyway, here's my 2 cents.
i think that the lack of patriotism may stem as a direct consequence of the very diversity of (the origin of) people in the country. in evolutionary terms, patriotism and altriusm have been postulated to go hand in hand. we feel the love for the "nation" as a generalized emotional affinity towards our family - a family of shared and common GENES.
while our society definitely (still) maintains close relations within the confines of "families", it fails to promote any significant tolerance and understanding beyond that. thus, not only does it fail to fuel development of unique identities, it also manages to stifle the growth of anyone ambitious enough to pursue the path - situations that drive many like missy above to places like australia, where despite carrying foreign genes, she is at liberty to increase her survival and nurture genetic success.
our modus operandi maybe "Mutually Assured Destruction"?! :P
Dancing in the rain | October 16, 2006 4:35 PM | Reply
Patriotism lies in the meaning of the word only for most of us Maldivians.We aren't really that anymore!!
Haseeb | October 18, 2006 7:34 PM | Reply
jaa: tolerance and understanding in family? dude, where are you from?
Haseeb | October 19, 2006 9:22 AM | Reply
I don't think "MissyMessy" will find genetic success in Australia. As a Maldivian, her genes are already flawed and third-world quality. Drinking beer and eating meatpie is not going to fix that.
rxs | October 26, 2006 6:59 AM | Reply
dude.. u r measuring from "how much has the nations has achieved".. while i measure it from "how much have i tried to achieve for it"
it truly is what u can do for your nation!
i am glad u r using the word Nation rather than Country or State!
another point is that being patriotic sort of mandates the patriot to be responsible towards the nation! This leads to the previous post you and I had title "Irresponsible Nation" and "Path to being an Irresponsible Nation"
Simon | October 26, 2006 7:17 AM | Reply
My point was that although there are talented people (and this is just one aspect of it) they have not been provided with ample facilities to improve on their talents. Firshermen have fish but there is not enough buying capacity in the government subsidized fish factory. This is the sort of thing I'm talking about.
We can damn well do a lot for the nation but if the nation is blind, dumb AND also paraplegic a fat lot of good that will do.
Where the hell have you been anyway?
rxs | October 29, 2006 7:46 AM | Reply
dude.. i am dead. i live in sudden spurrs..
nyways.. in the comment u r referring to "nation".. or are u referring to bunch who are in charge of facilitating the growth of the nation! looks to me its the latter!