PATRIOTISM ON THE WAY OF SPIRITUAL PERSONAL GROWTH

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of patriotism in its essential indicators that explain its interpersonal origins and activity-based phenomenology. Patriotism as the highest spiritual formation is qualified as the person’s love for the nation in its value framework. It points to the patriotic motivation that covers the borders of the homeland and the state. The author focuses on the unity of a specific personality and the human community, which sets high goals, asserts the best heritage, and protects them in a difficult but fair struggle.

An educational formula is quite productive due to the fact that the specific personality appeals to the power of the nation and thereby increases its individual patriotic power.

It is important to emphasize the fact that a growing personality, who is on his or her way toward a sense of patriotism, should rely on the formed spiritual values: justice, loyalty, altruism, and sacrifice. Therefore, patriotism becomes an essential part of the person’s lifestyle.

Among the educational techniques, there are those that appeal to extraordinary patriotic-oriented personalities such as national heroes, contemporaries, and even personal acquaintances. Under the indication of such figures, it is desirable to provide patriotic education to the growing personality. It is successful to encourage the personality to one’s spiritual reflection, which attracts the person to himself or herself.

Moreover, it is suggested to use the state of value-cantered concentration, when a student works only on solving tasks of patriotic orientation. Under this self-activity, the student turns into a subject who combines love for the nation and love for oneself, for one’s spiritual values into a single whole.

It seems appropriate to highlight that the students’ awareness is divided into two types of patriotism: limited active and widely active. The difference between them depends on the social significance of the cases involving the patriotic-oriented personality.

The mechanism of “association by similarity” is considered important in the educational context, when love for one’s home extends to love for the Homeland, as well as love for one’s mother is extrapolated to love for one’s nation.

Each growing personality should be internally directed to the principle that patriotism as a service to the great cause of the nation unites people not only by this common feeling but also by leads to an integrated meaningful life.