Reasons to love my country.
I think it's too easy to be ashamed of your country these days. In the UK, the media like to dredge up any scandal or expose any misguided action and label it "Broken Britain" and a sign of the times. In a world seemingly full of violence and malice, it's interesting when you consider the fact that the murder rate in the UK has roughly remained unchanged since the Victorian Era, and we now have many more brilliant social, political and health and safety legislation/laws than we did even 10 years ago, improving lives as we go.
So why are we always so quick to judge our fair and beautiful land? Did you know that the Ancient Greeks and Romans complained and debated about the same things we do? The rich getting richer unlawfully and sparing no thought for the poor, so called "foreign invaders" stealing "our" jobs and homes and women, immorality and corruption rife in the city where it's dangerous and there's no room, the gluttony and greed of the masses, the refined and simple pleasures of the country being idyllic? All these things you can find in the writings of Homer, Juvenal, Pliny, Horace and Petronius, to name a few. So what does this suggest? Maybe that not much has changed in 2 thousand years, and maybe it's time to get on with it and stop moaning?
Now, I'm British and furthermore, English. I fucking love to moan. But that means that sometimes, I forget that I have a lot to be thankful for. English people (and British people in general) are guilty of more self effacing behaviour than most other nationalities. We can't help it. We feel incredibly rude, "bigging ourselves up" and "blowing our own trumpets" - that is to say, highlighting our positive qualities. It's just the way we're taught to behave. In our society, it is considered the height of bad manners to show too much pride in yourself. Being proud of your achievements, yes. Going on about them, no. If you catch yourself doing it, you immediately apologise. I'm not about to radically step away from this tradition, it's my heritage. I don't disagree with it all that much anyway. After all, it's just rude to go on about yourself, no one wants to hear it.
But what I do think we should invest in is a little more national pride. After all, as a tiny, tiny nation, we're pretty hardcore. So I have compiled a list. (Any of my friends will tell you, I am extremely fond of lists.) It is essentially Reasons to be Happy About Your Life and Count Your Blessings at Being Born in an Affluent Country, Reasons to be Proud to be British, and Reasons to Stop Moaning about The State of Britain Today. Each is a category of things, rather than a single reason.
1. The British Way
2. British Ancestry
3. British Influence on the Wider World
4. Ye Olde British Achievements
5. Britain: SMALL yet MIGHTY
Part One, The British Way is coming soon.
Note: I hope this encourages you to think of positive things about the land you come from/live in, wherever that may be. Every society and country makes daily wonderful contributions to The Awesome World that we live in, and we would do well to remember that more often.
So why are we always so quick to judge our fair and beautiful land? Did you know that the Ancient Greeks and Romans complained and debated about the same things we do? The rich getting richer unlawfully and sparing no thought for the poor, so called "foreign invaders" stealing "our" jobs and homes and women, immorality and corruption rife in the city where it's dangerous and there's no room, the gluttony and greed of the masses, the refined and simple pleasures of the country being idyllic? All these things you can find in the writings of Homer, Juvenal, Pliny, Horace and Petronius, to name a few. So what does this suggest? Maybe that not much has changed in 2 thousand years, and maybe it's time to get on with it and stop moaning?
Now, I'm British and furthermore, English. I fucking love to moan. But that means that sometimes, I forget that I have a lot to be thankful for. English people (and British people in general) are guilty of more self effacing behaviour than most other nationalities. We can't help it. We feel incredibly rude, "bigging ourselves up" and "blowing our own trumpets" - that is to say, highlighting our positive qualities. It's just the way we're taught to behave. In our society, it is considered the height of bad manners to show too much pride in yourself. Being proud of your achievements, yes. Going on about them, no. If you catch yourself doing it, you immediately apologise. I'm not about to radically step away from this tradition, it's my heritage. I don't disagree with it all that much anyway. After all, it's just rude to go on about yourself, no one wants to hear it.
But what I do think we should invest in is a little more national pride. After all, as a tiny, tiny nation, we're pretty hardcore. So I have compiled a list. (Any of my friends will tell you, I am extremely fond of lists.) It is essentially Reasons to be Happy About Your Life and Count Your Blessings at Being Born in an Affluent Country, Reasons to be Proud to be British, and Reasons to Stop Moaning about The State of Britain Today. Each is a category of things, rather than a single reason.
1. The British Way
2. British Ancestry
3. British Influence on the Wider World
4. Ye Olde British Achievements
5. Britain: SMALL yet MIGHTY
Part One, The British Way is coming soon.
Note: I hope this encourages you to think of positive things about the land you come from/live in, wherever that may be. Every society and country makes daily wonderful contributions to The Awesome World that we live in, and we would do well to remember that more often.