مهین‌پرستی چیست؟ و چرا ترجمه‌ی دقیق آن Patriotisms نیست؟

What is 'Mīhan-parastī'? And why is it not accurately translatable to "Patriotism"

 'Mīhan-parast' refers to someone who is a 'parastār' of the 'Mīhan' (=Motherland). A 'parastār', historically, was someone who tended the sacred fire. 'Mīhan-parastī' means taking care of the 'Mīhan'. The 'Mīhan' is considered a sacred fire that must be tended. Additionally, in Iranian thought, 'Mīhan' and 'watan' (=Motherland, Homeland) are feminine, which is why we speak of ‘mām-ī Mīhan’ and ‘mādar-ī watan,’ and have a feminine perception of Iran. The 'Mīhan' is a place that gives birth. And what does it give birth to? It gives birth to life. The 'Mīhan' is fertile. And fertility is valuable, not death. Here, we can emphasize all the Indo-Iranian myths where there is a constant battle between drought and fertility, a battle between spring and autumn/winter, a battle between heat and cold, a battle in which the sun and ‘Mihr’ are victorious. Therefore, a 'Mīhan-parast' is someone who steps forward to produce for the 'watan' and becomes Iranian through what they give birth to for the 'watan'. The production of anything valuable, anything that brings light and gives more life: the production of meaning, food, welfare, and happiness.

The word "Patriotism" has its roots in Greek and means love of the homeland. In English, this word often means loyalty to the state and readiness to defend the country against external threats. Its Latin equivalent is patriotismus. The word "Philopatria" in ancient Greek means "love of the city." Its Latin equivalent is philopatria. This concept refers to the sense of belonging and attachment of Greek citizens to their city-state. The ancient Greek word for father is "patēr." This word is the root of many related words for father in various languages, including English (father), French (père), Spanish (padre), and Italian (padre). Thus, it can be understood that hidden in the meaning of patriotism is, first, that the homeland is a father, and masculine. The emphasis on defense and fighting and dying for the homeland is strong in this word.

 From this comparison, I want to draw the following broad and open conclusions: First, 'watan-parastī' means 'parastārī' of the 'watan' (caretaking of the motherland); second, our Iranian 'Mīhan' has no borders and is open to others to become Iranian, as has been historically, with the reliefs of Persepolis as evidence, which fundamentally differentiates it from nationalism, as nationalism means considering oneself superior to the others of the world and defensively unwelcoming to others; and third, life and living joyfully are valuable to us, not death and death-oriented thinking; and fourth, it means safeguarding the fertile mother of the 'watan'.