Patriot

Based on the lessons of the bloody and turbulent 20th century, human rights in themselves are worthless if there isn’t a strong political community to guarantee them. We know several types of political communities. Among these, the concept of a citizen is value-neutral. That of a patriot is not. The former lives in a continuous present. The patriot lives in history. The continuous present has no future tense. History, however – and life has proven this – has not ended, meaning only those who live in history can have a future.

The global citizen floating in the freedom of anywhere knows only one thing – if they don’t want to deny it – where they came from. The patriot also knows why they are where they are. About this, János Arany wrote in his masterpiece “Cosmopolitan Poetry”: “Be, if you can, a ‘world-poet!’ / Shake up the lazy West: / For me, blessed is the cradle / That rocked me into a Hungarian”

Due to historical turning points, Hungary is the Central European country that borders itself. The heritage of the detached parts of the nation and the annexed territories is also our heritage. Therefore, we must act, not for the country, but for the homeland, and we must trust, not in the power of citizens, but in the communal strength of the nation. Let’s remember the recent experience that even the happiest resident of the happiest barrack is still just a prisoner.

Interestingly, this – it seems – is still our common premise today.

The government supporter is a patriot, the opposition is a patriot. We are all patriots, we say in chorus. Everyone in their own voice, yet somehow it doesn’t become a joyful ode. Disharmony, this is ours. There’s nothing wrong with this, for almost a hundred years our song has been like this.

We have a homeland of which we want to be sons, daughters, and lately, non-binary citizens too. On the right side of the homeland is the right wing, on the left side the left wing, on the narrow edge of the homeland where right and left would meet, those who desire the center balance. They are the center. The center is like non-binary. You don’t know what it is, you only know what it’s not. Those standing in the center stay at arm’s length, they say this is what makes the homeland three-dimensional. They interpret, from Hungarian to Hungarian, what does the other say, you ask, they say homeland, says the center. Well, I’m telling them, homeland, you say angrily to the center.

Here we sit, stand, kill, embrace, die in this arm’s length three-dimensional homeland. Arm’s length, if you take one step towards the other, you’re already within striking distance. The striking distance is barely larger than the embracing distance. Dare to step. Step if you dare.

We still have a homeland. At home there, at home here.

Without a homeland, we are not patriots, patriotic daughters, or lately non-binary patriotic citizens either. There needs to be one, because we had and still have a homeland.

Its son, daughter, non-binary citizen tugs at it, but it’s still there. It’s used to being pulled. The homeland loves its son, daughter, non-binary citizen. Since the homeland has been a homeland, it’s been yanked by its son, daughter, and lately its non-binary citizen too. They betray it, defend it, rob it, build it, dismember it, tie it up, strangers trample it, its offspring break it open, the homeland endures everything.

Almost everything.

If it runs out of sons, daughters, non-binary citizens, then the homeland runs out too.

It can’t be a homeland to anyone else, only to its son, daughter, non-binary citizen.

So this is how you should kill each other.

Notes:

Linguistic context:

“Hazafi” (translated as “patriot”) literally means “son of the homeland”. The text plays with this literal meaning and extends it to “hazalány” (daughter of the homeland) and “hazanembináris állampolgár” (non-binary citizen of the homeland).

Historical references:

“Turbulent 20th century” alludes to Hungary’s experiences with various political regimes, wars, and revolutions.

“Hungary borders itself” refers to the Treaty of Trianon (1920), which resulted in significant territorial losses, leaving Hungarian minorities in neighboring countries.

 Cultural references:

János Arany: A significant 19th-century Hungarian poet. The quoted poem “Kozmopolita költészet” (Cosmopolitan Poetry) contrasts national and global perspectives in literature.

Political concepts:

“Happiest barrack” (“legvidámabb barakk”): A term used to describe Hungary during the communist era, suggesting it was the most livable country in the Eastern Bloc.

The text contrasts “állampolgár” (citizen) with “honpolgár” (patriot/citizen of the homeland), emphasizing the emotional and historical aspects of the latter.