Arthur SCHOPENHAUER on National Pride
National pride, often mistaken for patriotism, is a sentiment that many cling to as a source of identity and validation. Yet, as German Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer astutely observes, such pride can sometimes be the refuge of those who lack individual achievements or qualities of their own. In his essay The Wisdom of Life, he argues that true self-worth comes from personal accomplishments rather than an inherited affiliation with a nation. Those with keen intellect and character are often the first to recognize their homeland’s flaws, whereas those with little to distinguish themselves vehemently defend it, ignoring its shortcomings. This thought-provoking perspective challenges us to reevaluate the roots of our pride and consider whether it stems from genuine merit or mere collective association.
This essay is divided into these parts:
CHAPTER I. — DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT.
CHAPTER II. — PERSONALITY, OR WHAT A MAN IS.
CHAPTER III. — PROPERTY, OR WHAT A MAN HAS.
CHAPTER IV. — POSITION, OR A MAN'S PLACE IN THE ESTIMATION OF OTHERS.
"The cheapest sort of pride is national pride; for if a man is proud of his own nation, it argues that he has no qualities of his own of which he can be proud; otherwise he would not have recourse to those which he shares with so many millions of his fellowmen. The man who is endowed with important personal qualities will be only too ready to see clearly in what respects his own nation falls short, since their failings will be constantly before his eyes. But every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud adopts, as a last resource, pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and glad to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority. For example, if you speak of the stupid and degrading bigotry of the English nation with the contempt it deserves, you will hardly find one Englishman in fifty to agree with you; but if there should be one, he will generally happen to be an intelligent man." (Ch.IV. Sec.2 - Pride).
Here is the Hindi translation of this quote by DeepSeek AI tool:
सबसे सस्ता प्रकार का गर्व राष्ट्रीय गर्व है; क्योंकि यदि कोई व्यक्ति अपने राष्ट्र पर गर्व करता है, तो यह साबित करता है कि उसमें स्वयं के कोई ऐसे गुण नहीं हैं जिन पर वह गर्व कर सके; अन्यथा वह उन चीज़ों का सहारा नहीं लेता जो वह अपने करोड़ों साथी देशवासियों के साथ बाँटता है। जिस व्यक्ति में महत्वपूर्ण व्यक्तिगत गुण होते हैं, वह आसानी से देख पाएगा कि उसका अपना राष्ट्र किन मामलों में कमज़ोर है, क्योंकि उसकी कमियाँ उसकी आँखों के सामने लगातार रहेंगी। लेकिन हर दयनीय मूर्ख, जिसमें गर्व करने लायक कुछ भी नहीं होता, आखिरी उपाय के तौर पर अपने राष्ट्र पर गर्व करने लगता है; वह उसकी हर गलती और मूर्खता की पूरी तरह से रक्षा करने को तैयार रहता है, और इस तरह अपनी हीनता की भरपाई करता है। उदाहरण के लिए, यदि आप अंग्रेज़ों की मूर्खतापूर्ण और अपमानजनक कट्टरता के बारे में वही तिरस्कारपूर्ण भाषा इस्तेमाल करें जिसके वे हक़दार हैं, तो शायद ही पचास में से एक अंग्रेज़ आपसे सहमत होगा; लेकिन अगर कोई एक सहमत होता भी है, तो वह आमतौर पर एक बुद्धिमान व्यक्ति ही होगा। (अध्याय IV, खंड 2 - गर्व)
