Patriotism. There’s a loaded word for you. It means different things to different people, some of whom, in my opinion, totally misunderstand it.

I was having a conversation with two acquaintances awhile ago, and one of them made the comment, “Anybody who does not think America is the greatest country in the world does not deserve to live here.”

The other person replied, “I totally agree with you. I am such a patriot.”

Huh? Is that what patriotism really means, believing America is the greatest country in the world? And does being a good citizen really require that you unequivocally believe America is the greatest country in the world?

First of all, how do we possibly determine America’s greatness? I have never lived in any other country; in fact, I have never been in any other country for longer than two weeks at a time. Can that possibly be sufficient length of time for me to adequately compare that country’s greatness with America’s? And what about the nearly 200 other countries that I have never visited?

But even had I visited them all, what criteria would I use to compare greatness? Standard of living? Attitude of the residents towards each other? Education level? Poverty level? Crime rate? Cultural level? Average life expectancy? Military might (God help us if that’s a factor)?

I am very comfortable living in America, and I enjoy its standard of living and its multi-cultural mix. But I realize there are areas where this country could definitely improve. What about the political divide that pits liberals versus conservatives for the purpose of improving each group’s material comforts at the expense of other Americans? What about the out-of-control crime rate (one of the highest in the world)? What about the overall attitude toward education (far from one of the highest in the world)? What about intolerance (as represented by the flap over the “Trade Tower mosque” a few months ago)? What about the greed of politicians and big business at the expense of average citizens? What about the rudeness of many people towards others (just go for a short car ride and you'll see an indication of this)?

I like America, and I hope to spend the remainder of my life living here, but without explicit criteria it would be jingoist of me to arbitrarily state that it is the greatest country in the world.

And you know what? I don’t give a darn whether America is the greatest country in the world. What I care about is how many people concern themselves with trying to make America as good as it can possibly be. How many people volunteer time to social services? Donate money to charity? Treat other people as equals? Make political decisions based on what is best for everybody rather than just for myself? Truly care. Anybody who claims that America is the greatest country in the world, and does not do any of these things, is nothing but a hypocrite and, in my opinion, are the people whom I do not wish to live in my country.