Patriotism is instilled in a person from almost infancy. This topic is devoted to many hours in the school curriculum, at university lectures. In Soviet times, the topic of patriotism was considered much more actively than now. Raising a patriot was one of the primary tasks for the party and government.
It is impossible to clearly determine the question of what patriotism is. But without it, the meaning of the existence of such a powerful power as the Soviet Union was simply lost. All the strength of the country rested mainly on the patriotism of devoted people.
Vladimir Dahl in his dictionary gives the definition: "Patriot is a lover of the Fatherland, a man who sacredly protects the interests of his country." In a word, patriotism is a love for the motherland and for everything connected with it. This can be not only the protection of the interests and security of your country, but also the respect for state values, the preservation of natural reserves and the cleanliness of the environmental situation. For some, this is the state language and literature, historical values, and so on.
What is patriotism today? Modern definitions are somewhat different from Soviet ones. It is also love for one’s country as a place of one’s birth, where one’s roots are located, respect for the traditions of one’s people, painful experience of cataclysms, even love for nature.
In addition to love for the Fatherland and for their ancestors, patriotism is manifested in human activities, which are aimed at strengthening and developing the country. This is an irreconcilable struggle with people who cause obvious harm to the good of the state. It can be individuals or entire groups. They carry out their activities without thinking about the harm that they cause, that they sow enmity with their conversations.
Can people be called patriots who, in front of the eyes of millions, have fights or verbal skirmishes on television? Russian patriotism, probably, found a slightly different concept in the modern world. Otherwise, how can you call the patriots of politicians who, having come to power, solve mainly only their own problems? What can be called patriots of young people who are trying in every possible way to evade military service?
Many examples can be given, but be that as it may, there is still patriotism! And there are many patriots in Russia. People who love their country and strive for its prosperity. And patriotism itself is a feeling that cannot be destroyed, it is simply indestructible, it is brought up in every family and passed down from generation to generation.
One cannot but recall Russian, Soviet patriotism during the years of World War II. It was here that he manifested himself with unprecedented power, it was the actions of Soviet soldiers that convincingly explain what patriotism is. As in all difficult times, during the war years patriotism unites people, gives them strength and faith in the beautiful future of their country, in victory.
But patriotism is also a spiritual potential. Therefore, the revival of faith is one of the most important tasks. This is a combination of ideas, values, moral and moral qualities of both each individual and the country as a whole.
It becomes clear that patriotism experienced different periods. These were moments of recession and moments of rebirth with a new, more powerful force. Such a revival was always preceded by some difficult moments for the country, when people, inspired by patriotism, united to restore and preserve state values. There were times when mass emigration was observed in the country. But what can you do if a person was not needed by his country. He had to solve problems and difficult situations on his own, but this did not mean at all that such a person was not a patriot of his homeland. So there were circumstances. Maybe this was the only way to survive himself and not let his loved ones die.
But today, one can observe a tendency for former emigrants to return to their homeland. Is this patriotism? Exactly! Therefore, when the question arises of what patriotism is, it is impossible to give an answer by any one definition. This is a fairly extensive and much-needed topic.