I hate patriotism... I can't stand it. It's a round world last

The words of Bill Hicks—“I hate patriotism… I can’t stand it. It’s a round world last time I checked.”—strike like a rebellious flame, spoken not from ignorance, but from the heart of one who saw the danger of blind devotion. In these words, Hicks does not condemn love of one’s home, nor gratitude for one’s land, but the narrow, boastful patriotism that divides the human family. He mocks the arrogance that elevates one nation over another, as though the earth itself were not shared by all, as though the horizon did not curve endlessly in all directions. His cry is a warning against smallness of vision in a world too vast, too wondrous, to be bound by borders alone.

At the heart of his teaching lies the recognition of unity. By saying, “It’s a round world last time I checked,” Hicks reminds us that humanity lives upon one sphere, fragile, finite, suspended in the cosmos. To divide this round world into hostile camps, each proclaiming itself superior, is folly. For the air we breathe is shared, the oceans flow from shore to shore, and the stars shine upon all without prejudice. In scorning patriotism, Hicks scorches away its corrupted form: the nationalism that blinds men to their brotherhood with all other men.

History shows us the peril of the patriotism Hicks despised. In the early 20th century, nations in Europe wrapped themselves in flags and anthems, exalting their superiority above all others. This blind devotion fueled the First World War, a slaughter that consumed millions. Flags waved, speeches thundered, but beneath the noise lay ruin. Hicks’s rejection of such patriotism is not weakness, but wisdom: a recognition that when love of country turns into hatred of others, it poisons the very soul it claims to protect.

And yet, his words echo not only in critique but in hope. For by rejecting narrow patriotism, Hicks points us toward a greater loyalty: loyalty to humanity itself. Consider the astronauts of Apollo 8, who in 1968 looked back upon the Earth from the moon’s orbit. They did not see lines of nations or divisions of ideology; they saw one round world, blue and fragile, rising above the void. That image, later called “Earthrise,” did more to awaken the spirit of global unity than any anthem or parade. In that moment, Hicks’s truth was revealed: the world is round, and we are one.

The ancients too hinted at this wisdom. The Stoics spoke of being not only citizens of Athens or Rome, but citizens of the cosmos—kosmopolitēs, members of a universal city. They knew that love of one’s polis was not to be despised, but that it must never blind a man to his higher allegiance to justice, truth, and humanity itself. Hicks’s rejection of patriotism echoes this ancient teaching: do not let borders define your compassion, nor flags confine your vision.

The lesson for us is both sharp and liberating: do not mistake patriotism for virtue. Love your homeland, but do not let that love become arrogance or hatred. Remember always that we walk upon one earth, that our fates are bound together, that hunger in one land and war in another eventually touch us all. The true measure of devotion is not how fiercely you love your country alone, but how deeply you recognize the humanity of those beyond its borders.

In daily life, this means practicing compassion without boundary: respecting other cultures, rejecting prejudice, seeking justice for all peoples, and guarding the earth we share. It means being vigilant against leaders who cloak division in the language of loyalty, and remembering Hicks’s reminder: the world is round. No nation stands alone, and no people can thrive while despising their neighbors.

Thus let his words echo: reject the falsehood of narrow patriotism, and embrace the larger truth of our shared humanity. The world is round, boundless, indivisible. To live as though it were flat, divided by walls of pride and rivalry, is to live in blindness. To live as though it is round, shared by all, is to live in wisdom. And in that wisdom lies the hope of peace.