Ironic how politics itself is what has caused most of us to recoil at the idea of patriotism. Sad, because they’re not the same things at all. There is no nation without patriotism, just a legal mechanism for power and control and obfuscated slavery.
Discussion
That's all the nation state has ever been, it's simply a continuation of a notion which didn't really exist until the 1600s, it's a relatively new idea. Better to start with the bonds we have, which is usually family first, extended family, local community, wider community. Caring most about those people is natural and makes sense.