Patriotism, A Dirty Word?

The minister of state for defence, Harin Pathak, gave an account of himself during the attack on Star News. "I heard all this shooting going on and for a few seconds I was in shock. Then, I got my presence of mind." You would then expect him to say how he got on his cellphone to his ministry to inform the security forces so action could be taken immediately. Instead, what did he do when he got "his presence of mind"? He said, "I ran and hid behind a pillar." If this had been a movie, he would have been the comedian.

When the world existed without the boom of terrorists, the question of dying for your country was rarely a personal question that every individual had to confront. Today, it has become a personal and individual question that must be answered. Yes, we would all love a world as John Lennon Imagined, a world without borders, passports and armies. But that fantasy is as hopelessly far as John Lennon is.