A Patriotic 4th

After a nice long 4th of July weekend, I began thinking about what "patriotic" really means. According to the dictionary, patriotic means "of, like, suitable for, or characteristics of a patriot". The dictionary defines a patriot as "a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion". When most people hear the word "patriotic", they think about the American flag or wearing red, white and blue. However, I think there is much more to the word than that. Supporting your country doesn't just mean following your government blindly and agreeing with it no matter what. To me, a patriot is a person who, because they love their country, looks critically at their government and speaks up when they see something they don't believe is in the best interest of their country.