Patriotism

What is Patriotism?

Patriotism, as it is the love of and devotion to one's country, rouses conflicts and produces pride like love itself does. Look at the War of 1812; part of the reason which initiated it was that Britain still has troops in the United States, that it still treats the US like one of its colonies. And at the end, Britain lost 8600 men while the United States suffered 11300 casualties, all because of the proud War Hawks. Yet, even though the result was what it had started with, the Americans gained dignity with the British troops withdrawn and new heroes, such as Andrew Jackson, emerged. The joy was as though being an Astros Fan and seeing it winning the World Series or finding out that my brother has become the CEO of Microsoft.

As I grew up and spent most of my life in China, it is not uncommon that my heart has set roots upon my fertile homeland. I never allow any negative talks about it, and I always pull strong arguments against the big-mouth. Once, Michael began talking about the disadvantages of malls in China; I immediately popped out the opposition by pointing out that malls are unneeded as that all kinds of stores surround neighborhoods; and an additional mall would be comparable to the Chinese Saying, "putting in limbs while drawing a snake." He backed down under my continuous bombardment. I felt like a child tasting candy when I finally obtained my victory. A complete satisfaction and cool swept through my body.

I remember my anxiousness when waiting for a match on TV where China would compete with other countries in the Olympics season and my excitement and pride when watching one of my people being awarded with medals. I would jump up and yell in thrill. When I saw that China had placed 1st in the who-won-the-most medal list in the first few days, my heart had set flying; when I saw that the US had caught up, I strained all my muscles in the hope that China would