Our homeland is Costa Rica; more than the soil of Costa Rica, the bond that unites us to the Costa Rican people of which we are a part. Homeland means the land of our parents, of our ancestors (Obregón, 1921).
In the framework of Independence Day, we want to highlight how older adults experience the love for their country and why we believe that this feeling increases the sense of well-being in this population.
Love for the homeland or patriotism is "the positive feeling towards a person's native or adopted land. These feelings can develop for numerous reasons: cultural, historical or popular" (Marín, 2021). It is related to feeling rooted in a nation and sharing part of its culture and idiosyncrasy. It entails professing respect for patriotic symbols and loyalty for the good of its inhabitants.
The older adults with their actions are an example of love for the country. They have transmitted to us the values that represent the Costa Rican and the duty to honor the country day by day; as well as to work honestly and to be solidary.
They have also helped us to recognize the history of our country, a history that has not been easy, which reflects the struggles that the people have had to face at various times to protect the inhabitants.
Another contribution of the elderly population has been to preserve the customs and traditions of Costa Rica and to transmit popular wisdom, as well as the essence of the Costa Rican.
Why is the experience of this feeling important for older adults?
Because it promotes in them a sense of belonging to a country that has received so much from them and that continually provides them with care and identity as Costa Ricans. It allows them to feel proud to have been born in it. This feeling invites to the union and the search for the common good and the defense of rights and freedoms.
Bibliographic references
Marín, A. (2021) Patriotism. Economipedia. Retrieved from: https://economipedia.com/definiciones/patriotismo.html
Herrera. F (2020). Personal communication September 4.
