Does Non-Patriotism equal Betrayal?

Pakistan has been seeing more than its fair share of problems in recent years. Be it suicide bombings, loadshedding, depletion of natural resources, no sense of security, corruption, the classic example of ‘justice delayed, justice denied’ or as such, life in Pakistan is no longer what it used to be. Every year, there comes a point where the people of Pakistan say to themselves, “It can’t get any worse than this”. But it does. The awful living conditions in Pakistan do not maintain a semblance of stagnancy, but rather one of continued degradation. In such circumstances, many a people living in Pakistan feel unpatriotic, and aspire to leave this country and seek a life abroad. Out of them some try, and few succeed. The question of essence is: can these people be blamed for feeling this way?

I have spent my 18 years of life in Pakistan, and one thing that I have come to know about this nation is that we are a hot-headed people. Regardless of the fact that many people might say otherwise, we do realize the sacrifices that our grandfathers rendered for the creation of this country, and so love for our country is boundless. Patriotism is something we hold at par with virtues such as honesty, courtesy, tolerance etc. But the truth of the matter is that patriotism is not a virtue per se. While being patriotic certainly is a very good trait to own, being unpatriotic is not a crime. If a person does not love his country, it gives me no right to judge him or condemn him to an act of criminality.

But the Pakistani people do not see it this way. This is a twisted fact, but a true one nonetheless, that Pakistani people often tend to take pride in the fact that they are having to survive through all sorts of troubles. Slogans like, “If you can’t sleep without electricity in the heat, you’re not a true Pakistani” and as such are common throughout the country. Consequently, if a person wants to leave this country and settle elsewhere because of how difficult life has become here, he is considered weak and immoral. But it doesn’t stop at that. He is also considered a traitor to the country and the people. People tend to develop ill feelings towards all those who want to leave this country. But is this really just? Let me describe the life of a common, middle-class man in Pakistan. You have to suffer a curse like loadshedding throughout the year, even in the extremely hot months of June and July, so you can neither get proper sleep nor concentrate on your work. There is no sense of security. At any moment, anything can happen to you. You cannot afford to be seen driving an expensive car, wearing an expensive watch or handling an expensive mobile, since it can be snatched away from you anytime at a moment’s notice. There is no justice here; if anyone wrongs you in anyway, you just have to put up with it. Inflation has risen so high that it has deteriorated the upper class people into middle class ones and the middle class people into lower class ones. The concept of education here is not to gain knowledge, but rather to make money from wherever you can. Jobs are dying out day by day, since the higher ups refuse to retire and vacate their posts, and gain extensions instead. Is this place really fit to live in, then? Can one be blamed for wanting to leave this country?

Also, if a person leaves a country doesn't mean he can't contribute to it anymore. A lot of people go abroad, but turn to their country in the time of need. There are many people who go abroad for higher studies. Once they have enough experience, they come back and create jobs rather than fight for them. For example, a Chartered Accountant with enough experience can set up an accountancy firm, which would help other students grow. Same goes for doctors; they often choose to set up hospitals rather than working in one. In fact, many people send money to their country from abroad which gives a great boost to the economy, and helps sustain its economical, fiscal and monetary policies. Would you label a person who does all that but does not live in his country a traitor?

Then there is the question of freedom of thought. As a citizen of a free country, I am entitled to hold my own opinion on matters without having people to judge me. Why then, can I not choose to be unpatriotic about my country? After all, you cannot force a man to be good person. You can only teach him the difference between right and wrong and then leave it up to him to choose which path to follow. Why not the same for patriotism? Because if love for our country is something that is people are forced to accept instead of letting them make up their minds about it themselves, then we are not individual citizens, rather mindless drones.

In my opinion, patriotism and love for one’s country is not as big and serious an issue as we tend to make it; hardly anything more than a personal choice. Patriotism is certainly an admirable quality, and God knows it is the one thing that is holding our country together. Patriotism is what unites us, and what is getting us through these tough times. And to possess it in such harsh conditions is no less than a feat. But if one isn’t patriotic, it’s not a crime, is it?