Nationalism or Patriotism

Is our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal a Nationalistic or a Patriotic?
Before we answer the question I would like to discuss to you first what is a nationalism and a patriotism. The definition of Nationalism is having strong patriotic feelings, especially a belief in the superiority of one's own country over others.

According to George Orwell’s explanation “Notes on nationalism” http://www.resort.com/~prime8/Orwell/nationalism.html
By "nationalism" I mean first of all the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of people can be confidently labeled "good" or "bad." But secondly -- and this is much more important -- I mean the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests. Nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction between them, since two different and even opposing ideas are involved.

By "patriotism" I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality.It means that nationalism is a very powerful element that can unite people to defend their own country against other country or other people as well. According to some statements from an Indian blogger namely Sudhanva D Shetty “nationalism is a very strong element for uniting people, especially during war time”, simply because the practice of being a nationalistic is having a sense or drive to defend your own country no matter what the circumstances may  be. You will stand for your country no matter what happened because you believe in the idea that you have a responsibility to do so.

Nationalism is a very powerful way to   keep the people united for our own country though it could lead to a wrong outcome as well. The presence of nationalism can sometimes lead to a wrong outcome with the same goal which is to protect your own country or people. Because being a nationalistic it means to say no matter what your country are doing either if it is right or wrong you will still defend and fight for it whatever happens. This sometime can lead to a more conflict and even promotes war. On the other hand Patriotism is a love for or devotion to one's country. Its definition is almost similar to nationalistic though the difference is that as a patriotic you love a certain country or thing because of its way of living or the way its practice. Patriotism involves social condition and personal opinion. Nationalism focuses on the state while Patriotism focuses on the people.  As Sydney J. Harris quote “The difference of patriotism and nationalism is that, the patriot is proud of its country for what it does, and the Nationalism is proud of its country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second is a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.
Now we will go back to the question is Dr. Jose Rizal a nationalist or a Patriotic? For me I can say that he is a nationalistic person because of his intention to write the “Noli Me Tangere” is for the purpose of uniting the people, our people against the Spaniards. But in other ways I can still consider him as a patriotic person because of his love towards our country and the sense of responsibility that he has to defend our land against the Spaniards.