I have come across many people, here in the US and in Nepal, expressing their undying love for our beloved country. Regardless of cirucmstances and current situations, we elaborate our true patriotism with different exemplifications of socio-political and cultural standpoints. In today's chaotic geo-political bedlam, when the integrity and identity of a country and its countymen has been radically challenged, how do we find ourselves? Are we the true patriots?

As it seems, we have a dire lack of patriotism today. I wonder, our patriotism is limited only in the concerts and parties, uttered in the drunken stupor: I love my Nepal and I will do anything for my motherland. The battle of words amidst the degradation of ideas, we seem to respond only to the matters that warrant violent outbursts of profanity-laced ripostes. Government and system has vastly debilitated our confidence and pride, and yet, we weigh our patriotism with the political eye, disregarding the cultural and religious aspects of our name and identity as a sovereign and a kingdom. I agree I am a hypocrite, with binary beliefs about patriotism, rendering the very notion of saturnine ideologies about culture and religion. I only wanted to see if some of my sajha colleagues shared my hypocrisy, thusly seeing the big hole in our belief system, that we so fondly call Patriotism.

Very interesting subject.mAY I SHArE SOME VIEW HERE.i `ve met some friend and asked where they from, but seems that still had  a few try to be in the MIDDLE OF line or border by saying i am from Darjeeling, not in Nepal, i am from Nepal but raised in Afrika for instance... look at some big idol too, the person is originaly from Nepal but carmourflage his identity from other place but still people cant deny he had the mongolian and aryan features.

Is this an identity crisis of just be unbearable of that Nepalese centric though. I look Nepalese as very par at their excellence,musing, good charactor,hard working and their true in friendship community among themselves compare with others even subsjugate with many clans and section.

By natyavaruval   

patriotism comes to most Nepali only after they leave Nepal. There's no comprehension of patriotism when they're in Nepal, if they claim it, it's usually for politics and some corrupt ,selfish reason (very doubtful). Some elders here in the US told me "Nepali is a failed nation"  when I was a newcomer. I was so mad with them. Now I say it to the new comers, I see the the blood and the anger. I'm not a patriot, no need to to tell lies anymore, was never. I just saw another thread today, saying it's Bheda Nepali following the leaders, kings, communist and what not, for the "Failed Nation" title. What exactly is the meaning of Bheda...it's so vague. Does it mean,we're so dumb that we follow the guy ahead of us and jump in the river. I've seen many educated Nepali follow the same leader back home and from overseas, running into politics, careers oriented successful, business people. The # of educated person is rising at an incredible ratio. Are we idiot, which I diagree with. I've friends who can seel you for a dime with thier smartness. If it's not education, then is it because we're poor? which I seriously doubt it.

Why is there no patriotism in Nepali in Nepal? that is my question.you might disagree with me. Please feel free to come with your reason.

My answer is :it's our Values. Our values is injected with false pride, lies ,selfishness and mispriorities. No wonder we do not see the need for patriotism in Nepal.

I'm not here to offend anybody. Please feel free to come with healthy replies.

Very relevant topic and all of the views above have reality and I respect those views. Really talking I am not good at analysis. But I feel very sorry for we Nepalese people. I don't know what have filled up our mind. We do not try to find what is good or what is bad rather we follow our so called leaders. Almost as BobMarley mentioned like, if the guy ahead jumps in river then we follow that. We call we are fighting for the nation's development but we come forward on destroying the national assets, hurting the hearts of millions of  fellow nepalese people and much more. We really have been good at destroying rather than creating, we have developed the habit of pulling each others legs, we enjoy if we see somebody failing but don't want to see someone suceed. But again we proudly want to say we are true patriots, shame on us. I agree with Bob Marley that our values is injected with false pride, lies and selfishness and I pray God to take out all these false mentality from nepalese people and I plead Nepalese people to develop a harmonious nepali kingdom. Lets always wish good for each other, lets help each other in times of need and lets feel happy in progress of fellow Nepali people and that would be a real patriotism (my perception).

Bob Marley: I agree 100 percent with what you said. "My answer is :it's our Values. Our values is injected with false pride, lies ,selfishness and mispriorities. No wonder we do not see the need for patriotism in Nepal."

There is nothing wrong with seeking weakness in us as Nepali. Once we know our weakness, we can try to improve on it. It is like getting customer feedback. The only way you can get feedback is asking customers for their opinion.

To know how (we) Nepali are, the best way is to ask other side. We should ask Indians, Bhutanese, Tibetans, Westerners, and others about their opinion. If we start asking what went wrong and what are the good qualities to keep, I am sure we can find the asnwer.  If you want to improve yourself, you have to understand your opposition and then compare and see where improvement needs to be made.

Just a thought..................

 

 

BOB MARLEY:  "My answer is :it's our Values. Our values is injected with false pride, lies ,selfishness and mispriorities. "

I believe in the saying "Charity begins at home".  While I am certainly FAR from being perfect, I do try to improve everyday and will do that for the rest of my life in an attempt to make my siblings and offsprings know and learn.  They have to KNOW and LEARN different values than what I was taught.  If I do not take that first step in improving myself, how could I EVER think of others.

False pride:   I am descended from such and such a caste/group/family etc hence you are nobody.
lies:  I am most disturbed by the fact that lies are most alarmingly accepted amongst us.  You all know of different situations as I could go on and on.
I could classify each of the "values" we Nepalese seem to have inherited but when you think of it...the one that takes the cake is our NEED to BELITTLE others to feel good about ourselves!  And this seems to be our NATIONAL PRIDE AND JOY - this need to BELITTLE....so much so I think it has become a SPORT.
And I think thats where the problem lies.
You all have seen it amongst family members, amongst friends, amongst anybody Nepalese.  And my question is WHY do we need to succumb to such lowly acts?  Don't we as a people have the ability to be happy for somebody, be proud of another person's achievement and just move on with our lives? 
Ani.... kuro rahyo patriotism ko...we are busy belittling Indians and Westerners with racial slurs and fail to see further than the tip of our noses!

mcmcx...In case you did not get my email...I enjoyed every bit of what you had written in another piece about our mixed feelings for Indians.....and "I hate mexicans..I love Latinas"...that bit me baaad. :)

Patriotism: love for or devotion to one's country

I excerpted this definition from Merriam -Webster Dictionary online.

Love and devotion for one's country should not be hard for us. I am sure, all the people of this world love their respective countries with as much zeal and fervor. Therefore, I sometimes find it odd that we keep up coming with different perspectives on patriotism, or maybe it is just Patriotism in the plain light, as we like to see it. I am truly befuddled by this definition of Patriotism. I love my country. I am devoted to my country, although not as much as I would like to be.

I have been living in the US for the last decade pursuing a fool's dream. Many times, I feel like the proverbial dog of the washer man, who keeps lingering on the choice between the true homes. I am from Chicago. I am from Nepal. When someone asks me, "Where are you from?" I interject," Nepal," even if I feel home in Chicago.  And I feel alienated from Nepal. In the perceptions, I do not believe in the boundaries of countries and race, but I believe in people. There are only two kinds of people. Good People and bad people. But suddenly it does not matter. What matters is one’s heritage, one’s legacy! Our heritage and our legacy: our recognition. Nepal.

I recall an incident that occurred in one of the Nepalese function. It was a Nepalese New Year gala in Chicago. I was in the lobby waiting for my friends. A young man in his early twenties was at the door, checking the stamps of admittance. And few of girls were at the reception, sorting the tickets and welcoming the guests. As I was loitering around, I heard the MC hit on the microphone and start addressing the group of people already in the hall. As we could clearly hear in the lobby too, the MC was speaking in English. Upon hearing that, the doorman not so gently shouted, “Expletive! Nepali ma bol!” I felt proud of his love for our language.  I felt proud for his respect for the women in the crowd. Then, I came to know, patriotism is when we speak Nepali. I speak six languages fluently. And Nepali is the least I speak the whole working day. I felt so belittled that day. And I hear people go insane and speak in front of the mirror in Nepali because there is not a single soul to speak Nepali to. So, I guess I am not a patriot.

I do not miss Nepal. I miss my home and family though. But I guess that does not count me a patriot. I have heard people say, “Thank God I am not a Nepali”, in Nepali. I do not know what to make of it. That I should be proud or ashamed! Ashamed, I am not. But I am not proud either. I have not contributed anything to my country, except for one MIA citizen in the census. But I am proud of myself, what I could not do in Nepal, I am doing in the US. There are 30 million others living in Nepal. I am no better than them, but I am not any worse either. If I were in Nepal, I would just be the same as I am here, only more frustrated and negative. If that makes me less patriot, so be it. Because I believe, if you are happy, the world becomes only a better place to live in.

PS: All of that is my personal opinion on things as sensitive as such. It is one-sided and narrow, I hate to admit it , but that is my reality. I hope you will identify with it, and add more insight to my bigoted beliefs. As I like to say, "Bigotry is the true mirror to self." I hope my sarcasm does not offend some of you. My sincere apologies if it does.

 

 

wow.. this is soo refreshing.. finally.. after a long.. long time.. i'm reading something worthwhile.. this is good stuff.. it is 6 in the morning..and here i'm.. anyways.. just wanted to say.. i'm loving it guys..

mcmxc.. mr. marley..and suna.. i'm totally loving it.. let's keep it coming..

one love.. peace

I've seen African immigrants, from wretched places like Liberia and Somalia expressing unparalleled patriotism for thier countries in a fashion all too common to Nepalis (all in drunken thoughts). It is a wedge that we're caught in here, although we would like Nepal to flourish, we do not want to do so at our own expense, i.e, going to Nepal and making dirt.

But then again, I think that the diaspora itself can be a potent force in expediting growth in Nepal. I hate the ANA, its just an excuse for well-to-do Nepalis to show off their wealth/status. The need of the hour demands that Nepalis living abroad do something more concrete and impacting than inviting Prashant Tamang and other artists like 100 times a year. All this money can go do something more worthwhile. So here is my plan.

We need to set up an NGO with NRN money, that goes towards rural development . I am sure there are hundreds of thousands of well of Nepalis in the West. If everybody can contribute a certain amount (this can be made tax deductible), we can really start building our agricultural infrastructure . Its a shame that although about 75 percent of Nepalis live off agriculture we still have to import food from India. Everything that Nepalis eat in Nepal should be produced and packaged in Nepal. There is rising middle class in the major cities, so the demand is definitely strong, its just that we need to substitute, them with Nepali products. Thats the least we can do.
 Its easy to sit with a bottle of Heineken and show unrelenting patriotism masked in vile pretense. Its time to act and there's never been a better time.

Davechapelle
Join John Wood...who seems to have done more for the country than any so-called politician has done.  I, myself, am seriously considering that thought.

Thanks guys for not cursing and giving positive feedback, this doesn't necessearily mean you'll have to agree with me on everything. The reason I brought the issue about our values, it has a tremendous affect on me (and million of other)while growing up. How many times did you heard your parents say "Falana ko Choro...this....Falana ko Choro...that" even when the whole neighbour knows about his shady character/criminal operations. I mean your own parents implying(maybe they not right your face) you're a looser compared to him when you're infact a better person than the Falano. It's the acceptance of wrong over right.What can you accept from other when your own blood teaches you those BS.Just because they're your elders don't necessaryliy mean they're always right. Look at all the old-fart politician (elders????) ruling the country one after another.You might argue that it is being wiser and the only way to survive in those culture. We don't eat human flesh if we have no food, do we? Same logic. Compare that to the Western Values, they're even proud of their retarted son and come to TV to brag about their achievement (when have you seen a retard's parents being proud in Nepal?). Some might say "Khuub American Baiyesh". I fell they're INSECURED when they say that.They don't see the need to learn from others. Ignorant ethnocentric people are in every culture.
Few years back, they were talking about "It's accetable to lie in some culture" on NPR radio and one of the caller was a former Peace Core who was stationed in Nepal/India areas. He basically said that Nepali people CASUALLY accept lies and it's OK to lie, there's no consequences as a result of "LYING".Even though he didn't say it with a meanece, it was very painful to hear such things being said about my country. I could have killed him then. But now, I want to meet that person and thank him. He nailed it right in the heart. Bravo.
I've hear too many people say the same thing again and again: Education and Poverty: as the #1 reason for our problems.But you don't hear about the other underlying factors, which in my view are bigger issues and can take more time than "Education and Poverty".Well you might say, education will take care of those issue. Look around, how many educated Nepali do you see, it's having little or no effect at all.Many people are well educted in Nepal (overseas included) but their action/thinking/beliefs is as worse as the rest of the ignorant. You tell me, is education the only answer? We should be thankful that we're not poor like those African-flies on face with swollen berllies starving kids.I might be wrong, values comes from our needs and beliefs, not exactly eduaction.
Let me hear what you have to say.

 

Forgive me for being the only cynical person here but some  person  (really famous!!!) once said about patriotism:
"It is the feeling that your country is the greatest country in the world only because you were born in it." Think about it.......if you were born in some other country, would you still be this much concerned about Nepal?


Hey, but it's just me............

Thank you all for pouring your valuable opinions on such a mundane topic. When the entire country and most of Nepalese abroad are inundated with mixed feelings about the new-found Republic status of our country, patriotism is only a side bar per say. I don't know much about the current ongoings, but I am sure, it will do some good, as I see a lot of people being excited. I have come across a lot of boring interpretations of the Republic, and different kinds of Republicans. I wish not to know of any of it but, while it is funny, it is educative and defunct at the same time. No matter who says what, no matter how much discussions it warrants, Republic Nepal will be only another extension of the Pro democracy and Pro or Anti Monarchist movement.

The leaders we  choose will be the same, and of same political agenda despite the new politocal ideology and system under which goverment will be run. If new or any others, either they will be the same as before, or they will vanish in the limelight of ensuing developement fever in Nepal. Once the monarchy is abolished (as it is widey believed at present), there will be a different breed of insurgence demanding a different something. I guess the Terai movement will take its toll to a different level. Maybe, they will, regardless of their inclusion or exclusion in the Governement, demand of a new separate state. Gorkhaland, ULFA, Naxalites, Khalistan groups, Lashkar-e-toiba etc all have their own agenda in the biggest republic in the world. They comprise of the various ideologies catering to various classes of various races and cultures. While, Nepal has a very few chances of such a huge variation in armed revlot, but it takes only a spark to blaze the whole jungle, given that it is propelled by hot winds (turmoiled politics) . Live example, Kosovo.

I am talking of a mere possibility in a near future, and not concerning the current ongoings. Maybe, and I wish, our country will see a new dawn of developement. I believe, for now, developement in Nepal equates to proper food, proper shelter and proper education (and subsequently proper jobs) available to all class of citizens. I hope the underprivileged can rise above the norms of the society and be able to enjoy the benefits of the new Republic, where all voices are heard. I guess Democracy was supposed to do the same, but 15 years of trial and error hit the dead end.  I can but only imagine what Maoist government would have ushered in Nepal, maybe EQUALITY TO ALL.

I try not to sound pessimistic, but then, I am a semi patriot, as per the definition. Other than that, I love my Nepal as much as I love America.