Patriotism

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 21:51:53 +0100

As I was walking past St.Martin-In-the-Field yesterday I noticed for the first time the statue of Edith Cavell. I mean I've walked past it dozens, maybe hundreds, of times but I've never stopped to look at it before. I'm glad I did.

The inscription on the statue reads:

"I realise that patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."

I was very moved by this expression. I've always been somewhat disturbed by patriotism because, when I see it expressed, it always seems to be a very blind, crude, thing only a few steps from xenophobia.

But this is something else. And it's impact is all the more poignant when I learned that she spoke these words on the eve of her execution by the German state in 1915 for her part in helping soldiers escape occupied Belgium to the Netherlands.

This is my kind of patriotism.

Curiouser and Curiouser! on patriotism

Patriotism