Monday, December 21, 2009

Patriotism or Extremism

How many of you have watched the series ‘Desperate Housewives’? If you have watched few episodes even, just recall the character of Bree. She always wants to keep things neat and tidy. At whatever the expense or how hard she has to work, she always tries to keep her routine and maintain the order. She becomes fussy even to notice a tiny speck of dust or a smudge. And she expects others to be like that. By doing so she has gone extreme. So, even good habits can be changed into bad habits when they are taken to an ultimate. Though look positive, we need to be careful about our behaviour. Too much of anything is not good.

Imagine how we have behaved in supporting our national football team during the last SAAF championship. During the days of the competition, for many of us, nothing seemed to be more important than making some fun in the name of supporting our national team. Whenever we win, whenever we score, we are given the freedom above all traffic laws and regulations. You were free to have a ride on your motorbike with whole your family members on it. You were free to shout and call whatever comes to your mind at any pitch through megaphones. No consideration was paid to the old and sick who are unable to withstand the pandemonium. But still we proudly call it, ‘patriotism’.

Although the country is struck by a great economic depression, where many are just left to live from hand to mouth, nobody seemed to know and remind others of the situation we are in. Rather we were caught by the spell of the media and people who has taken things to an ultimate. We were urged to spend or more appropriately to waste money in the name of patriotism. In a society where large number of youth is just wandering around the roads looking for a chance to create some havoc, do you think its patriotism that we have experienced from them.

Senior government officials and about 25 parliament members attended the final match at Bangladesh leaving the Parliament at a halt. May be these political figures took to their heels just to get caught by the public to show how patriotic they are. If they are really patriotic and loyal to us and our country don’t you think they have things much better and important to do? How many bills or legal codes that are directly or indirectly related to our basic needs or harmony of the society are pending to get passed or legalised?

I would rather call it extremism, not patriotism. I know many of you would find it hard to agree with me. If so when would you call it extremism? If too much of anything is not good, sure there would be extremism in patriotism too.
Categories:

1 comment: