Patriotism is often the cry extolled when morally questionable

The words of Chelsea Manning—“Patriotism is often the cry extolled when morally questionable acts are advocated by those in power. When these cries of patriotism drown out any logically based dissension, it is usually the American soldier that is given the order to carry out some ill-conceived mission.”—resound with the fire of warning, as if spoken not merely for her own age, but for all ages to come. In them, we hear both sorrow and clarity, a reminder that the most sacred words can be twisted into weapons, and the most noble virtues can be turned into chains. Patriotism, when pure, is devotion to the well-being of one’s people; but when wielded by the cunning, it becomes a veil to conceal corruption and folly.

For the ancients knew this peril well. They warned that tyranny rarely wears its own name. Instead, it disguises itself with the cries of honor, loyalty, and duty. The Romans, in their decline, were told they must march for the glory of the empire, even when their wars served not justice but greed. The people, silenced by the roar of patriotism, failed to question, and the soldier bore the burden of carrying out campaigns that drained the empire’s lifeblood. Thus Manning’s words stand in the tradition of wisdom passed down: beware when leaders cloak their failings in the garments of national pride.

History gives us vivid examples. In the early 2000s, the invasion of Iraq was justified to the American people as a mission of security and liberation. Yet time unveiled that the foundations of this war were built not upon solid truth but upon error and deceit. The cries of patriotism were sounded, dissenters were branded as unfaithful or un-American, and it was the soldier, often young and unprepared, who was commanded to carry out a mission that left scars both visible and unseen. Manning herself, in witnessing the realities of war and the suppression of truth, spoke these words as both testimony and warning, paying a heavy personal price to voice them.

The story echoes even further back. Consider the tale of World War I, when millions of Europe’s youth marched into trenches under banners of national pride, told they were serving noble causes. Yet what awaited them was not honor but mud, disease, and slaughter on an unimaginable scale. Their patriotism was real, sincere, burning in their chests—but it was used by those in power to fuel a conflict that historians would later call senseless. In this we see the full weight of Manning’s words: when the voice of reason is drowned out by orchestrated cries of loyalty, it is always the common soldier and the ordinary citizen who pay the price.

The lesson is not to reject patriotism, but to refine it. True love of country does not mean blind obedience, but the courage to question when leaders demand sacrifice. To be a patriot is not to echo every command, but to defend the true spirit of the nation—justice, truth, and the dignity of human life. As Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”; so too, the unexamined call to arms is not worth following. Patriotism without wisdom is dangerous; but patriotism with discernment becomes the guardian of both the nation and its people.

Practical action follows from this wisdom. When the voices of power call you to act in the name of patriotism, pause and ask: does this serve truth, or does it serve ambition? Listen for dissent, for often it is the voice of conscience whispering where the crowd only shouts. Support the soldier, not by urging them into every battle, but by ensuring they are never sent where justice does not lead. And in daily life, do not allow slogans to silence your reason; cultivate the habit of questioning, of seeking truth beneath appearances.

Thus, Chelsea Manning’s words endure as a torch passed forward: beware of the misuse of sacred words. For patriotism is not a shield for the powerful, but a bond of love between people and their land. Let us be vigilant, that we may not see the noblest among us—the soldier, the citizen, the youth—sacrificed for the errors of the mighty. In this vigilance lies the preservation of both truth and freedom, the true fruits of any nation’s honor.