The celebrations of the centenary of Poland regaining independence, solemnly celebrated in 2018, encourage scientific reflection on the fundamental issues related to freedom and independence for each country. These include the sense of patriotism, generally understood as love for the homeland and readiness to defend it, in the name of sacrificing even the highest values, which are health and life. The aim of the article is to present the role of the state in the lives of citizens, to indicate the differences in the perception of patriotism in the past and today, and to define the readiness of Poles to defend their country. All these elements determine the creation of Poland's national security in the 21st century, without which it is impossible to talk about the survival and development of a given nation and state. Among the research methods used, theoretical methods were used, including the analysis and synthesis of the literature on the subject, as well as empirical methods, including the survey technique and case study.