As I pondered the origin of the word "nonsense," patriotism came inexplicably to mind. Patriotism had always preoccupied my thoughts, at least until my final year of middle school. In those early school days, patriots surrounded me. When I referred to them as patriots, I imagined them occupying some lofty realm-noble, exalted, and unreachable. Yet as I advanced through middle school and entered high school, I began engaging in conversation with these once distant, admired figures. Soon, my inter ...