by Brett Manero
The 2024 American election is a mere ten days from today. I don’t think anyone needs an education into how wild and genuinely bizarre this election cycle has been. Readers also don’t need to be made aware of how chaotic the world situation is at the moment, either. The pax Americana, like the pax Britannica and the pax Romana before it, seems to be rather tenuous at the moment.
The election this year will certainly be momentous, and its outcome is no doubt of extreme importance to the pax Americana. Without endorsing a specific candidate, it’s worth reflecting on the tremendous value of the love of one’s country – not only politically, but also spiritually.
To love one’s country is virtuous. To many this is obvious, but it’s worth being reminded of this. When I studied in Scotland as an undergraduate student, I met many students from the United Kingdom, some of whom loved their country and others, not so much. I found this fascinating – how some could be so strongly patriotic and others appeared to have a constant sense of shame in their country, especially for their nation’s history of colonialism. I suppose the same is true of America and many nations. Some citizens are patriotic, others are not. To be sure, every nation in history has committed its share of sins, has made terrible mistakes, has committed criminal acts, whether it be in the area of war, government, economics, slavery, or elsewhere. But there are nations that I do believe are genuinely good at their heart: both America and Britain are good nations at heart. I suppose countries can be compared to people: we are all a complicated blend of good and evil, of light and darkness, and it is often a constant battle for the light to overcome the darkness.
Despite the darkness within each of us (due, of course, to concupiscence and the natural tendency to sin due to the Fall), we still love ourselves. It is natural to love oneself and to seek to preserve one’s life. We also love others – our family, friends, and colleagues – despite these loved ones being sinners. The same love must naturally apply to one’s country as well. Despite the complex mixture of both good and evil in every nation, it is good to love one’s nation. If you are an American, love America. If you belong to any other nation, love that nation. Patriotism is not nationalism. Nationalism is the toxic idea that one’s nation should always trump the needs of another. Nationalism was a major spark of the First World War, and we know how that turned out. Patriotism, rather, seeks the good of one’s country while also supporting the needs of other countries.
In Catholic theology, we often say that “virtue lies in the middle.” Hatred of one’s country is wrong. Nationalism, therefore, is the opposite extreme. Patriotism, therefore, is the virtue in the middle.
Love God, love your neighbor, and love your country. And if you’re American, vote on November 5, 2024.