The Practice of Patriotism

The dialogue which follows was taken from Johann Gottlieb Fichte and was written in 1807.  It was published in translation in the journal Iskustva:
A. Confused and restless, moving in his chair, looking at his watch.
B. It seems that my presence is becoming uncomfortable for you.  Would you like me to leave?  What do you wish?

A. If I can tell you freely, I would beg you to make your visit another time.  It has struck five.  In my daily schedule that hour is devoted to the practice of patriotism.  I do not like to miss any of my obligations less than that one.
B. ...the practice of patriotism?  How do you do that?  How are you — patriotic?

A. I inform myself about new institutions and decrees, then I divine their wisdom, and that wisdom, I finally praise loudly and publicly.
B. Do you think that those institutions are always wise and worthy of praise?

A. Of course.  A good patriot must always praise, and always praise things exactly as they are.  If, contrary to expectation, something were to crop up which simply could not be praised, that must be overlooked in silence.  In this way a beautiful, loving relation is strengthened between the ruled and those who rule, and the other way around, the trust of the government, to which our praise of course must be infinitely praiseful...

That not everything is quite as it was in 1807 is indicated by the fact that for reasons unbeknown to us in Fichte’s age, patriotism was practiced at five o’clock in the afternoon (we assume), while in our age it is practiced at 7:30 p.m.  Patriots fumble nervously, look at their watches and with a hurried gesture say: “Quiet, the News is starting.”  Anyway, that is the best place for divining the wisdom of public institutions and for seeing how the decrees of those institutions should be passed on with praise.  Or, take the daily Borba, the red one which costs a mere dinar.  There, attempting to divine the wisdom of our institutions (masochism is a part of my job), I read the report from the last press conference held in the Yugoslav Army Headquarters.  They were in the Saturday news when I am, I must admit, less busy than other days and can find time to practice patriotism.  In every other newspaper, I read that those responsible in the army are complaining about low salaries, around 300 German marks, according to the exchange rate before devaluation, while Borba spared me from this fact, probably so that I would not get upset and begin to doubt the wisdom of public institutions.  For what is so praiseful for me and for the government if the army is on skid row, and everything which is not praiseful is not patriotic enough, so that if there is no reason to praise something, than it should be overlooked in silence.
These days a certain “Patriotic Alliance” appeared with an advertisement in Politika (see Roksanda Nincic’s article).  You will recognize these phantoms (the word alliance indicates that there is more than one) by the fact that they become very restless at the philosophical five o’clock.  As Fichte would say: our presence is becoming uncomfortable for them and they would wish for us to leave... When all there is left in this country are mere sycophants, there will no longer be this country.  For as long as they are restless, there is still a chance.