Patriotism, Nationalism and Neo fascism

Patriotism, Nationalism, and Neo-Fascism

To those who have seen working of a steam motorboat, a steam engine or any steam machine, in general, will know that it works in a with three power modes, start, half steam, and full steam. Our enterprise to acquaint ourselves with the title of this essay is somewhat similar or to an extent exactly like the working of any steam-powered motor. A wise sailor, driver or a pilot knows how to control the steam and power the enormous steel body it is supposed to displace. The question however becomes a little difficult to tackle when it comes to human masses which take the form of enormous metal clinking and clanking, waiting for the right amount of steam to get it powered.

                Here the patriotism, though a great attribution of the human spirit for the love of his country and fellow countrymen, only represent the mild steam, that is required to run the enormous body of the state. However, keep adding little steam and the patriotism rises to the level of nationalism, a fervent approach where even the seasoned pilots and sailors know that the metal beast is not easy to tame, and must on all times keep focus and control the amount of steam that is led for displacement. A little more steam taking to full, the motor, engine, or vessel is at the mercy of steam. Where even the experts fail to control the outcomes.

With comparison humanity is not steered by any seasoned pilot, sailor, or driver, it is however steered by mass psychology, a huge synapse that sways forward and backward in huge oscillations, whose definite path is only shaped by the charismatic leaders. The leaders whose own psyche in turned shaped by this oscillating mass. The more the psyche of mass shape the leader, the more the leader shapes the psyche of the mass. We have had the misfortune to look at the human behavior that brought on to us two holocausts, a number of ethnic cleansing still carried on in varying degrees around the world and mass displacements of the population causing refugee crises. On close look behind all these we can pinpoint the leader shaping the psyche of the masses, and the mass psyche shaping the psyche of the leader is known to us now that we have had enough examples of such occurrences.

                When exactly the patriotism turns in ultra-nationalism and then to fascism, it cannot be determined by some definite yardsticks. Observations though can be made of the human psyche that is building up, by observing the current events that are shaping and recreating histories. Today as the year 2020 unveils a pandemic infested world with closed borders and elements of nationalism and ultra-nationalists on the rise, predicting the future is not so hard.

Times have changed a lot since the gunpowder replaced chivalry of swords and honor, here we have surpassed our barbaric ancestors in mutilating humanity, closing borders, spreading hatred, racism, creating a cultural divide, and worst of all sending humanity to the gallows and chimneys of hell. For when we visit history before the advent of gunpowder where violence was often the only means of subjugation. It had its limits as the conqueror never cleansed the entire population of the areas conquered or take the culture and wipe it off the face of the planet. Today after we have seen through with much horror, fascism, and destruction. We still can learn from our barbaric ancestors.

Patriotism

A feeling to belong, with the psychology of humans to live in and wander in groups gave feelings of association. Mix in some culture and little pride with physical border. What we have is patriotism. Pride in culture, of its group and members in it, combined with an acknowledgment of the physical boundary of the state can be in short defined as patriotism. This is what the seasoned captains call mild steam. A mere start for this enormous beast of humanity. This is by far the most secure and safe psyche any mass could hold for its own preservation and spread. Here the mass psychology is often governed by a sensible government. Be it monarchy, democracy or any other form of government. For there is not a single instance in the history where a patriotic population satisfied to a fair extent with the form of government they are under, has caused harm to itself or any human population neighboring its borders.

                Keep adding to steam and we now face challenges of physical force that is getting hard to control for the steam when heated is, as it is hard to control, keep heating it and you will have a dire situation in your hands.

Nationalism and Ultra-nationalism

Most of us cannot define the border that is so fine between patriotism and nationalism, while the fine border that separates do not in any huge way alter the mass psyche it is like more or less the mild steam now accelerated towards half steam. It is a point where those who can influence the psyche of masses start to gain influence. Their voices are the loudest, their words filled to the brim and spilling with resentment increases against a particular race, caste, culture, religion, ethnicity, state. It is high time for those whose moral compass is still intact to raise voices against these nationalists. For in no way nationalist can be called patriotic, a clear difference between a patriot and a nationalist is the same as humble farm fowl and peafowl. Where the one is in acknowledgment of its place and limitations, the other is proud and vain. Where one is duty-bound, the other is draped in vanity has only duty to itself. We can see these references in our human population. Where a patriotic soldier duty-bound lays down his life for the country and his countrymen, we on the other hand see the vain politicians engrossed in self-praise and full of pride of their vain existence. Though different the vanity and self-pride of these nationalist more often than not induce a resentment against those who cannot match its vanity and pride, this ideology has seen us through the second world war, and we have seen how only yesterday your neighbor who was inviting you to a tea, now looks down upon you because you do not belong to the race, religion condoned by the neighbor. A very factual ascendance to this looking down upon is replaced with resentment and eventually in culminating in hatred. 

Ultra-nationalist on the other hand are very easy to distinguish amongst the population, they are open critics of cultural and mass assimilation and accommodation, where their tolerance for others is very limited and they are prouder than the peacock himself. The vanity of their ideology brings cheeks of the most beautiful dame to crimson. More often than not these are also the people who in one way or the other hold influential positions in society and hold considerable sway on the psyche of masses…charismatic leaders without a moral compass are examples of this ultra-nationalism. I am sure as you read this you are able to relate a few in your country and society.

Fascism

The world was created by the word of God or by the big bang, depends on which faction you belong to but when a mere mortal is established on the pinnacle of power with demigod status, it is a sign of danger that is about to befall on the humans. No countries are more experienced in these matters as, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia. These countries not only witnessed the rise of fascism but also have seen the fall and hopefully learned their history.

        Fascism needs no definition, and if needs one, it has been very elaborately defined by a lot of bright minds before me. What’s interesting here is to see the ripening of ultra-nationalists into fascists. Though on no country should this evil befall the enormous machine of humanity gets itself on full steam under the reign of fascist elements. Under the full steam this machine whose only purpose is surging forward in the direction clouded by the fog of misinformation and extreme vanity and pride. Its only natural that it meets end as unnaturally as the case was in Titanic. We all know what happened to the Titanic. Many speculate on the actions of the captain of the Titanic, who a mere pilot was not as influential as the aristocratic mass that ordered to run the ship on full steam. With visibility near to zero and with limited means of modern navigations the ship met its dooms, taking innocent lives. The rest is history. Now relate this to the rise of Nazi in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, Emperor Hirohito in Japan (often referred to as God's image) proud and vain all these people took their respective countries to doom, millions died for the pride and vanity of these feeble minds.

                Now, we see a surge in neo-fascism, this is different in a lot of ways, it has adapted itself in this age of information. It has masked its identity under the guise of good Samaritan. New technology, the advent of social media is now used to spread false pride and vanity amongst masses. As explained earlier being charismatic some of its leaders are shaping the mass opinion recent examples of such are US-Mexico border, Brexit, displacement of Rohingyas in Myanmar, and more. If you could open your mind just a little you can relate this fascism rising in your country too, for the mass media acting on behalf of masses is shaping the leader’s psyche in the same manner, as leaders are shaping the psyche of masses. How far this tide will last only time will tell. But putting a mortal, however great his heroic deeds were or are on the pedestal of gods, is a sign of rising fascism. It creates a divide between those who belong and those who don’t.  For this is important, not only it shapes our future, but also the destiny of mankind. One should always ask the inner self to be more tolerant, for if not there are 8 billion people to hate.

Now with as the information age dawns on us, we have more to achieve as humans. where our technological pursuits not only should combine us in uniform creed but also as whose ambitions defy the lengths of space.

In the end to quote George Santayana, a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist.

“Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it”