What do the concepts of “patriot” and “patriotism” mean these days? Patriotism through the eyes of children: “This is a state of heightened nerves

Patriotism– (from Greek patris- fatherland) - a moral and political principle, a social feeling, the content of which is love for the fatherland, pride in its past and present, the willingness to subordinate one’s interests to the interests of the country, the desire to protect the interests of the homeland and one’s people.
National Sociological Encyclopedia

Patriotism– love for the fatherland, devotion to it, the desire to serve its interests with one’s actions.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia

• Patriotism is a moral criterion that distinguishes a noble person from a low one and a spiritually developed person from one who is in spiritual lethargy.
• Patriotism is an objective assessment of the situation and actions of the native country, combined with an optimistic view of the vector of its development in the future.
• Patriotism is pride in all the achievements of one’s people and awareness of all their historical mistakes.
• Patriotism is the willingness to sacrifice the personal for the sake of achieving the public good.

Benefits of Patriotism

• Patriotism gives strength from the realization that hundreds of generations of his ancestors stand invisibly behind a person.
• Patriotism gives joy - from awareness of the merits and successes of one’s country.
• Patriotism gives responsibility - for the family, the people and the Motherland.
• Patriotism gives confidence through a sense of involvement in the fate of the country.
• Patriotism gives you freedom to act for the good of your country.
• Patriotism gives respect to the history, traditions and culture of the country.

Manifestations of patriotism in everyday life

• Geopolitics. Education nation states- This is one of the manifestations of the patriotism of every nation.
• Liberation wars. It was patriotism, as the basis of cohesion in the face of the enemy, that helped peoples win the most terrible wars in case they were not aggressive.
• Military service. Willingness to defend the Motherland from an external enemy is an integral sign of patriotism; the person who chose military service- shows patriotism.
• National customs, traditions. An example of “everyday” manifestations of patriotism can be the unique National costumes different peoples.
• National culture. Russians folk songs, epics of the Yakut people, Scottish bagpipe playing - all these are examples of patriotism expressed in cultural heritage different peoples.

How to develop patriotism in yourself

• Family education. Parents who show love and respect for their country, and instill these feelings in their children, raise their children to be patriots.
• Interest in national culture and traditions. In order to love your people, you need to know them; By consciously studying the history of his people, a person cultivates patriotism.
• Awareness. Patriotism involves pride in one's country's achievements; interest in information related to all aspects of the life of society and the country creates the basis for the development and manifestation of patriotism.
• Traveling around your country. The best way to know and love your homeland.

Golden mean

Cosmopolitanism

Patriotism

Nationalism, xenophobia, chauvinism

Catchphrases about patriotism

Don't ask what your homeland can do for you - ask what you can do for your homeland. - John Kennedy - It seems to me that the feeling of love for one’s own people is as natural for a person as the feeling of love for God. - Patriarch Alexy II - A patriot is a person serving his homeland, and the homeland is, first of all, the people. - Nikolai Chernyshevsky - My friend, Let's dedicate our souls to the Fatherland with wonderful impulses! - Alexander Pushkin - It is important that you are ready to die for your country; but it is even more important that you are ready to live life for its sake. - Theodore Roosevelt - A. S. Tsipko / Values ​​and struggle of conscious patriotism The author raises the question of the nature and features of Russian patriotism. Based on the point of view of the philosophers Berdyaev and Frank, he contrasts “leavened patriotism” with conscious patriotism, which is based not on myth, but on historical truth. Patriotism is the spiritual core of the peoples of Russia The book is dedicated to patriotism - a feeling that is inextricably linked with Russian history and to whom in many ways Russian state owes its formation and existence.

Many people have heard of such concepts as patriot and patriotism. What does it mean to be a patriot?

In this article we will look at who a patriot is, what qualities such a person should have, and what patriotism is.

The concept of patriotism in antiquity

The concept of patriotism has been known to the world since ancient times. It is believed that this term originated in ancient times. In the literal sense, “patriotism” meant “homeland” (from patris) and was attributed to any city where there was a man is born. Great importance patriotism was in Ancient Rome. Patriotism was divided into local and imperial. Local patriotism was supported by various religious cults. As for imperial patriotism, it was practiced by emperors who, in order to unite the population, created a common imperial cult. Often such cults deified the emperor.

Patriot and patriotism in modern times

At all times, a patriot was a person who loves his people and his homeland no matter what. In the modern understanding, a patriot can be called a person who experiences a feeling of love for his Fatherland and is ready to make sacrifices for it (including sacrificing his interests). This feeling is usually called the feeling of patriotism. That is in simple words patriotism can be described as love for the motherland and for one’s people.

As a rule, the role of patriotism increases significantly during war years. Various patriotic slogans can be seen precisely in those years that correspond to a particular event related to the war. For example, you can look at a Polish poster from 1920, which depicts people taking up arms to prevent an invasion Soviet troops. This poster depicts the inscription “Hey, who is Pole, with hostility!” Such posters can be found in every country, because patriotism is familiar to almost every nation. Exactly at war time patriotism manifests itself most clearly, because an impending threat can awaken in every citizen courage and determination, a desire to protect home country.

A striking example of patriotism is also the fight against fascism Soviet people, who did not surrender to the enemy even with his threatening power. It should be noted that in the Soviet Union, patriotism was extremely important and was promoted everywhere. Nowadays, the promotion of patriotism is also an important part social programs many countries of the world.

Thus, we can say that a true patriot is a person who values ​​and loves his homeland, people, language, history, is proud of his culture, the achievements of the people, appreciates and protects the nature of his country.

At the same time, patriotism and extremism should not be confused. After all, a patriot should not at all be aggressive towards other nations, but must protect and defend his people and country.

What is “patriotism” and what kind of person can be called a patriot? The answer to this question is quite complicated. But, one way or another, for the sake of simplicity of judgment, we can agree to consider Vladimir Dahl as the first who more or less clearly defined the concept of “patriotism,” who interpreted it as “love of the fatherland.” “Patriot” according to Dahl is “a lover of the fatherland, a zealot for its good, a lover of the fatherland, a patriot or fatherlander.” The Soviet encyclopedic dictionary does not add anything new to the above concept, interpreting “patriotism” as “love for the motherland.” More modern concepts of “patriotism” connect a person’s consciousness with emotions on the manifestations of the influences of the external environment in the place of birth of a given individual, his upbringing, childhood and youth impressions, his formation as a person. At the same time, the body of each person, like the organisms of his compatriots, is connected by hundreds, if not thousands of threads with the landscape of his habitat with its inherent flora and fauna, with the customs and traditions of these places, with the way of life of the local population, its historical past, ancestral roots. Emotional perception of your first home, your parents, your yard, street, district (village), the sounds of birds chirping, the fluttering of leaves on the trees, the swaying of grass, the change of seasons and associated changes in the shades of the forest and the state of reservoirs, songs and conversations of the local population, their rituals, customs and way of life and culture of behavior, characters, morals and everything else that cannot be counted, influences the development of the psyche, and with it the formation of the patriotic consciousness of each person, constituting the most important parts of his internal patriotism, fixed on his subconscious level.

That is why the first most severe punitive measures of the Soviet government against the enemies of the people, proposed by Lenin, were execution or deportation from the country without the right to return. Those. The deprivation of a person of his homeland, even by the Bolsheviks, in terms of severity of punishment was equated to execution.

Let's give the concepts of “patriotism” and “patriot” more clear definitions:

1. The main one is the presence among the basic healthy emotions of every person of honoring the place of his birth and place of permanent residence as his homeland, love and care for this territorial formation, respect for local traditions, devotion to this territorial region until the end of his life. Depending on the breadth of perception of the place of one’s birth, which depends on the depth of consciousness of a given individual, the boundaries of one’s homeland can extend from the area of ​​one’s own home, yard, street, village, city to district, regional and regional scales. For owners higher levels patriotism, the breadth of their emotions must coincide with the boundaries of the entire given state entity called the Fatherland. The lowest levels of this parameter, bordering on anti-patriotism, are the philistine-philistine concepts reflected in the saying: “My house is on the edge, I don’t know anything.”

2. Respect for your ancestors, love and tolerance for your fellow countrymen living in a given territory, a desire to help them, to wean them from everything bad. The highest indicator of this parameter is benevolence towards all one’s compatriots who are citizens of a given state, i.e. awareness of that social organism called throughout the world “nation by citizenship.”

3. Do specific everyday things to improve the condition of your homeland, its embellishment and arrangement, assistance and mutual assistance of your fellow countrymen and compatriots (from maintaining order, neatness and strengthening friendly relations with neighbors in your apartment, entrance, house, yard to the worthy development of everything your city, district, region, Fatherland as a whole).

Thus, the breadth of understanding of the borders of one’s homeland, the degree of love for one’s fellow countrymen and compatriots, as well as the list of everyday actions aimed at maintaining the proper condition and development of its territory and the inhabitants living on it - all this determines the degree of patriotism of each individual and is a criterion for the level of his truly patriotic consciousness. The wider the territory that a patriot considers his homeland (up to the borders of his state), the more love and care he shows for his compatriots, the more everyday acts he performs for the benefit of this territory and its inhabitants, progressively (his home, yard, street , district, city, region, region, etc.), the greater the patriot a given person is, the higher his true patriotism.

A true patriot stands for those and for what strengthens and develops his homeland and against those and for what destroys it, causes it this or that damage. A true patriot respects patriots of any other territory and will not harm there. In his homeland, he, together with other fellow patriots, fights against those who cause harm to it, and these can only be fellow non-patriotic citizens with a low level or defects of consciousness, or even enemies of the Motherland. In this regard, it is very easy to understand how unpatriotic we are those who sow hostility towards their compatriots, oppress their fellow citizens, use foul language, litter, poison the environment, poach, and lead an unhealthy lifestyle. A fight or enmity with a neighbor, attacks by members of one party on members of another, fans of one football team on fans of another, alcoholism, drug addiction, hazing in the army, corruption, embezzlement - all these are elements of manifestation of various forms of unpatriotism in Russia.

Patriotism either exists to one degree or another, or it does not exist at all. Patriotism is a very secret feeling, located deep in the soul (subconscious). Patriotism is judged not by words, but by the deeds of each person. A patriot is not the one who calls himself that, but the one who will be honored as such by others, but above all by his compatriots. Thus, a real (ideal) patriot can only be considered a person who constantly strengthens his physical and moral health, is well brought up, educated and enlightened, has a normal family, honors his ancestors, raises and educates his descendants in the best traditions, maintains his home (apartment, entrance, house, yard) and constantly improving their way of life, lifestyle and culture of behavior, working for the benefit of their Fatherland, participating in public events or organizations of patriotic orientation, i.e. aimed at uniting fellow citizens in order to achieve patriotic goals and jointly carry out patriotic tasks of varying degrees of complexity and importance for the arrangement and development of their homeland, for the improvement and increase in the number of their enlightened compatriots.

The above, I think, allows us not only to understand the main trends of our national existence, its probable prospects, but also to draw some general conclusions and formulate specific proposals regarding the interethnic consolidation of Russians, the strengthening of statehood and the unity of Russia:

There is a clear need to develop scientific theory harmonization of national relations and the corresponding program for the life of society for the transition period and the long term. The foundation of the conceptual approach should be the ideas of national centrism (getting rid of extremes in the national question in all its aspects) and democratic federalism (providing true equality to all national and administrative-territorial units).

The program of practical actions must be based on legal and practical compliance with the national and regional interests of each subject of the Federation. Only through this can the asymmetry of the current federal structure be overcome. Of particular importance is the coordination and delimitation of powers along the lines: Center - republics, Center - regions (territories, regions, cities), as well as the development of special mechanisms for preventing conflicts between nations and regions, taking into account the experience of countries included in the CIS and other European states.

State policy is called upon to become more national-regional than ever before, taking into account the specifics of the North Caucasus, the Volga region, Siberia, and the Far East. Only such a policy can ensure a relatively painless transition from an essentially unitary state, which was Soviet Union, to the federal one that the new Russia strives to become. Strengthening the independence of regions that do not oppose themselves to the Center, but cooperate with it, leads to the priority of supranational values ​​and brings closer the implementation of the national task - to revive a great and strong power with a democratic order and a socially oriented economy. All this will make it possible not only to correctly assess the current situation, but also to largely foresee its development, and therefore to succeed in preventing interethnic friction and conflicts. Such work in the regions is just beginning. That is why interaction and cooperation of sociological services in the Center and locally, as well as the resumption of scientific ties with sociologists from neighboring countries, would be very useful and productive.

History has already proven that any ideology that puts one group of people above others is untenable and is simply doomed to failure; a regime built on this ideology will collapse, burying the ruling class under its rubble, examples of which are Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, medieval feudal states, and Nazi Germany. The Soviet Union is no exception: the proletarian class turned out to be no better than the bourgeois class... Therefore, any Nazi state, if ever formed again, will not last long.

It becomes clear that the two concepts of “nationalism” and “patriotism” should be clearly distinguished. Although the former often hides under the guise of the latter, they should not be perceived as related. Nationalism in foreign and domestic policy will lead the country to decline. And healthy patriotism without a shadow of nationalism will never hurt. A patriot of his country can be a person who is not ethnically related to titular nation of this state.

From all of the above, we can conclude that Russia of the 21st century is a multinational nation, and it does not need nationalists...

Patriotism is instilled in a person almost from infancy. Many hours are devoted to this topic school curriculum, at university lectures. In the Union, the topic of patriotism was considered much more actively than now. Raising a patriot was one of the top priorities for the party and government.

It is impossible to unambiguously define 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. The entire strength of the country rested mainly on the patriotism of devoted people.

Vladimir Dal gives a definition in his dictionary: “A patriot is a lover of the Fatherland, a person who sacredly protects the interests of his country.” In a word, patriotism - and to everything connected with it. This can be not only the protection of the interests and security of one’s country, but also careful attitude to state values, preservation of natural reserves and 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 somewhat different from the Soviet ones. It is also love for one’s country as the place of one’s birth, where one’s roots are, respect for the traditions of one’s people, painful experience of ongoing cataclysms, even

In addition to love for the Fatherland and for one’s ancestors, patriotism is manifested in human activities, which are aimed at strengthening and developing the country. This is an irreconcilable struggle against people who cause obvious harm to the good of the state. These can be individuals or entire teams. They carry out their activities without thinking about the harm they cause, or that they sow hostility with their conversations.

Can people be called patriots who start fights or verbal altercations on television in front of millions? Russian patriotism probably acquired a slightly different concept in modern world. Otherwise, how can we call politicians patriots who, having come to power, solve mainly only their own problems? How can we call young people who are trying in every possible way to avoid military service patriots?

Many examples can be given, but be that as it may, patriotism still exists! 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 on from generation to generation.

One cannot help but recall Russian and Soviet patriotism during the Great Patriotic War. It was here that it manifested itself with unprecedented force; it was the actions of Soviet soldiers that convincingly explain what patriotism is. As in everything Hard times During the war, patriotism unites people, gives them strength and faith in the wonderful 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 and moral qualities of both each individual and the country as a whole.

It becomes clear that patriotism was experiencing different periods. These were moments of decline 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 the country experienced mass emigration. But what can you do if your country doesn’t need a person? He had to solve problems and difficult situations on his own, but this did not mean at all that he was not a patriot of his Motherland. This is how the circumstances developed. Maybe it was the only way survive yourself and not let your loved ones die.

But today one can observe a tendency towards former emigrants returning to their homeland. Isn't this patriotism? Exactly! Therefore, when the question arises about what patriotism is, it is impossible to answer with any one definition. This is quite a broad and extremely necessary topic.

Let's turn to the interpretation of this word. Big Soviet Encyclopedia draws attention to the fact that this is, first of all, a feeling. And based on this, he gives the following signs: love for the homeland, the desire to be useful to it, devoted exclusively to it.

However, this definition applies very narrowly to the concept under consideration. In our opinion, love for native land covers the value experience of the entire people to which a person is involved. Not only is she herself part of traditions and history, she bears the full weight of the experience of previous generations.

Commitment to your people, respect for their culture - this is what true patriotism means.

What do we mean by people? Maybe this is all of humanity? Nation? Town? Village? In fact, it is impossible to clearly define this concept geographically.

We are talking about common values ​​that people adhere to and try to put into practice of their own free will. And the population in this case can be completely different.

Let's look at one interesting formula. Everyone can see their own meaning in it.

People = Population + Political will + Patriotism

One thing about it will always remain unchanged - the people are dependent both on devotion to their native land and on the will of the state. The latter, in order to strengthen the spirit of the nation, is ready to do anything to ensure a comfortable life for the population.

Let us highlight the following postulates that can be seen in this formula.

A people cannot exist without patriotism

We talked about what this concept includes values ​​- moral, ideological, everyday. Imagine that the feeling of love for the homeland will disappear - respect for the past and traditions will disappear - the people will disappear. This chain is quite logical. We don’t think about how dependent we really are on the experience of previous generations - imagine that every newly born person has to evolve and reinvent the wheel. All the achievements that we enjoy are the product of the activities of millions and billions of our ancestors. And we owe it to them to be grateful.

External will can replace your own will

We have an adequate perception of the events taking place in the state. However, political will implies a slightly different meaning. This is the opportunity and desire to form your own values, complementing the traditions of the past. If we don’t do this ourselves, then anyone can impose them. It is important to be able to defend your right to an opinion and not let other people’s stereotypes wedge into your life, changing it. This is where the split between false and true occurs.

True patriotism is not only love for the fatherland, for the homeland. It is also about defending the interests of its population.

Why is it no longer fashionable to love your native country?

Let's turn to a rather complex problem and try to find, if not a comprehensive solution, then at least a complete answer. What has happened in modern society, why does devotion to the Fatherland cause a smile?

Is it really not important to love your homeland?

Many opposition media are promoting the desire to remove existing traditions and radically change them. This is a trend, especially among young people. You can endlessly criticize new trends, politicians and oppositionists. But adhering to a strictly conservative course is also not perfect option developments of events, as history has shown. The best changes are those that people feel weakly. Our psychology is this: we almost always resist something new, and therefore it is important that people feel comfortable.

Maybe the wrong generation

There are so many opinions now that young people have gone bad. I stopped respecting my elders and appreciating help, moral principles. Give these people a few decades, they will live and see that without the past there is no movement into the future. Hundreds are also born talented people, it seems like nothing has changed. And the spirit of rebellion inherent in youth is a very transitory thing.

It's about ourselves

But this is more like the truth. Without noticing it ourselves, on the one hand we are developing, and on the other, we are degrading. Let us give one ambiguous example.

A scientist who had long studied evolution from a biological point of view decided to look at it from a philosophical perspective. Man is always working - it is believed that it was labor that made him this way from a monkey. At the same time, people have driven themselves into a trap - how long can a person afford to live without working and enjoying life? Only the rich. So what then philosophical meaning evolution?

But let's return to our question. What is wrong with us? We gradually began to forget the traditions and foundations of previous generations. Some things have become obsolete, some were unique to a certain time, some have become a funny ritual. This is how we slowly began to devalue our love for our homeland.

Another underestimated factor is external influence. Young fragile minds, subjected to forced attacks of other people's opinions and arguments, can create doubts in their young soul. That is why true patriotism- this is a feeling that can and should take refuge in days of such trials - it will give strength and patience.

How to revive love for your homeland

To answer this question, you need to look at what values ​​are important for modern society.

Science and technology

Smart is the new sexy! You can now hear variations of such a phrase from everywhere: on the radio, television. Technology is not only our future, but also the values ​​of our generation. Where does science begin? From education.

A big problem for many is obtaining knowledge for quite a lot of money. Many, knowing that they supposedly won’t learn anything special in higher institutions, they just buy “crusts”. And this is a very scary trend, if you think about it. How many people in our country can injure other people, break things, lives, just because they decided to acquire a diploma in transition.

Nobody is going to make education free just like that, this is a fact that needs to be accepted. Despite this, young people understand that being a pro in their field is an honor and respect. Most, even if they don’t have money for education, try to gain knowledge from books, other people’s research - they try to gain all the experience on their own. This trend can save the new generation's correct understanding of love for the motherland.

Defense of the native land

Patriotism is a concept that in many social studies textbooks is considered as the defense of one’s Fatherland from internal and external enemies.

But let's take a closer look at modern society: a huge number of guys dream of “selecting” from the army, knowing what hardships and trials they will have to endure.

Priorities are being set incorrectly now. The great word – “patriot” – was vulgarized, beaten and left for dead. You need to think, first of all, about what values ​​were instilled in the child in the family - not to be intimidated by the army, the barracks, or evil ensigns, but to tell what all these trials will teach.

On the other hand, the army institute is working terribly now - there are many cases when guys who served were brought home to wheelchair. And no, they were not in hot spots. This is how their “comrades” tried. Everything comes from the family. Now we come to the main thing.

Traditional family values

A strong family traditional type capable of raising a strong personality, independent of external influence, who adequately assesses what is happening in the country and in the world as a whole. Such a person is capable of not only loving his homeland, but also defending it.

Even if the family was unable to provide that strong moral layer capable of protecting the child, teaching him to appreciate and love his homeland, then he himself can and should take on the role of educator. If not parents, then the right teachers, church, faith - all this contributes to understanding and logically explains what patriotism implies, what love for oneself and people means.

Examples of heroism in Russia: great feats in the name of the Fatherland

What to study younger generations, if not from the experience of elders? We suggest you look at heroic deeds our compatriots, committed out of love for their native land.

The Great is rich in examples Patriotic War. We will present only those that have been practically forgotten. Little is written about them in books and articles, they are rarely spoken to schoolchildren classroom hours. Memory is the highest reward for a warrior, which cannot be deprived of him.

Katya Zelenko

She went down in Russian history as the first female pilot to use a ram to destroy enemy aircraft. Its small Su-2 bomber fought against German stubbornness to the last - until the ammunition ran out.

Our heroine decided to take a desperate act, which became fatal in her life. Her self-sacrifice, not for the sake of fame or money - it was important, it had value for herself. Katya was raised correctly: her love for her homeland was reflected in her heroic deed.

Dima Komarov

The feat of this man truly shows who a patriot is and what patriotism is. He, leading a small detachment of volunteers, rammed a huge German armored train. And after a successful operation, the only one from the entire team was able to survive.

This behavior is admirable: a man strived to do the literally impossible. However, faith in himself, his own strengths and upheld values ​​helped him make a decision.

Kolya Sirotinin

This example seems unrealistic, but the events are documented and took place. This man, together with his friend, opposed a full-fledged German army.

When his comrade died, Kolya began to fight back alone. The result was the destruction of 17 tanks and armored personnel carriers, and the killing of almost six dozen German soldiers. After Sirotkin ran out of ammunition and grenades, the Germans asked him to surrender. However, the one with the last machine gun flew at the enemy - that’s the whole answer. Young hero died, but did not give up.

Epistinia Stepanova

Now it is quite difficult to understand what is patriotism and what is not. And is it possible to measure love for the motherland by heroic deeds alone?

Epistinia is a unique woman; she gave birth to and raised 15 children, ten of whom went to war and never returned. Yes, you should never forget about the everyday feat during the war. As Tatyana Tolstaya wrote in one of her stories: “women have gone through a difficult path of change from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. These beautiful, fragile undines, as it turns out, can be strong and courageous, only time will require it from them.”

Briefly telling what patriotism is and defining it is quite difficult, since this concept is very broad. If we take it narrowly, considering the concept from textbooks, then it is just a feeling - and most often it is one-sided.

If we look at the problem from the other side, we can highlight an approach in which a person who loves his country is a true citizen who honors the memory of the past generation and cares about his values.

Yes, now there is a deep problem of depreciation of this phenomenon, but it is also possible to outline the main trends in society that will make it possible to instill in young people in the future traditional values. By the way, turning to your roots and origins helps a lot with this. Order a beautifully designed Genealogy Book from us, and you will be pleased with the result for several reasons: good quality completed work and getting to know the previous generation and its history.