There Should Be a Name for the Feeling of Affection….

There should be a name for the feeling of affection towards one’s own land that differentiates it from this despicable patriotism that does nothing but castrates the mind from equanimous judgment. The dictionary itself would do well to point out xenophobia as a possible synonym for patriotism, in view of the use that has been made of this unfortunate word. What a disappointment! To open history books and come across infamous adulators of tyranny and power, to find unacceptable justifications for every kind of crime, to come across the attachment to stupidity, the unswerving refusal to admit any virtue that does not flatter the “patriotic” pride… It is worth subscribing to what Cioran said: “Un homme qui se respecte n’a pas de patrie.”