Love of Country

There has been some talk lately that brushes up against the subject of
love of country. Certainly no discussion should take place without a
definition of terms. The two terms that are most important to define in
this discussion are country and love. The term "love" is perfectly
described in these words:

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag
and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its
own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does
not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

It is the term "country" that needs definition. When people speak of
loving this country, are they speaking of the ground, the dirt that has
been piled up on this longitude and latitude of earth? I think not. Are
they speaking of the people that live upon that dirt? Possibly, but they
sure are a difficult lot to love. Do they mean the government, or the
system of government, or the spirit of adventure and daring that has
defined this country since conception. Again possibly. What do they
mean? What do you mean when you say you love this country?

I guess in the long run it doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter,
because the definition of love applies regardless of the object.

It also doesn't matter, if you don't love this country. You can go ahead
and be impatient with it, jealous of its good fortune, you can act
unbecomingly toward it, keep count of all the times it has blown it,
rejoice when it gets caught with its hand in the cookie jar, give up on
it, not believe it, loose hope in it, bailout on it.

...just plodding along.