JudoP
Interfector Viris Spurii
   
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Rocks away!
Posts: 1009
UK
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When I was growing up I never felt particularly attached to my country of the UK (England). It felt pretty much an accident of birth to be here rather than Canada or the Phillipines or India. During my teenage years I had a couple of really nice holidays in the south of France. It was so lovely that I planned to move or at least retire to the south of France, or some other lovely european region. When I was a little older and going through university (the first time) I was completely open to where I'd end up and was looking to experience other cultures, although in the end I stayed in Britain. At the time my view of the UK was fairly average to negative, I had a dim view of the political system and culture and couldn't see much reason to hang around, aside from my parents.
Something happened maybe around the time I hit my late 20s, and my mindset reversed. I began to take comfort in the character and little idiosyncracies of Britain and the manor of it's people. After a time the thought of forgoing these things and settling elsewhere left me cold. Instead I began to feel gratitude for the positives of my country and it's contribution and place in the world, and a strong sense of belonging. No way was I going to forgo the quaint english pub, rainy riverside walks, the TV schedule, the british seaside, humour and it's predictably reserved and polite people (mostly). I think when you are young it's easy to only see the negatives in things and try to tear them down. After a few more years, I gained a more balanced picture and can see the good but also the faults and now feel rooted in the country, a participant rather than a spectator. I feel a sense of pride now, which I suppose could be called patriotism, not because I believe brits are superior, but simply because I can share in the unique identity of the country and be proud of a thing I helped (in a tiny way) build.
Maybe it's because this place is an island, but I sometimes feel I'm a passenger on a huge ship travelling through time, guided by it's many generations of crew. Standing here now I feel gratitude, a sense of responsibility to help guide the ship and pride for my small part in the journey. That is my version of patriotism.
How do you all relate to your nations, whether adopted or born into?
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