What Patriotism Means To Me

Patriotism basically means love for and loyalty to one's country. I often hear many people telling me that they love their country but I don't really believe they actually do. Just look around outside and you'll find litter everywhere. Just look at the public facilities such as phone booths, bus stops, toilets and so on, many of them have been vandalised. These are just two of the many examples why I don't really believe people love their country when they say it.

Well, there are many ways to show love to our country. Showing patriotism is not merely flying or waving the national flag on National Day or singing the national anthem enthusiastically. Instead, we should keep our houses, schools and public places clean at all times. In short, we must not litter! Besides, we should also keep the environment clean by not contributing to pollution.

Furthermore, we can show love to our country by helping and caring for others who are less fortunate or are in need with our precious time, effort and money regardless of race and religion. We should all respect each other's race and religion and not discriminate and belittle others for I believe that we were all equally and wonderfully made by God.

Moreover, we should also learn more about other customs, religions, races and traditions so as to avoid any misunderstandings between different people especially when we, Malaysians, are living in a multi-ethnic and multiracial country. If we can forge a better understanding and have mutual respect between the different races and religions, many conflicts such as wars, genocides, disputes, massacres and so on could have been prevented in the past and can be prevented now and in the future.

All the above are my views on ways to love and show patriotism to our country. I believe that by following the actions above, we can have peace in our country and also the world. Lastly, I believe these are what patriotism is about.