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Patriotism

As we celebrate our 230^th year of independence, it is altogether fitting and proper that we take a few moments to carefully reflect on what patriotism means.  Webster’s defines patriotism simply as “love for or devotion to one’s country.”  There can be little doubt that great Americans throughout our history as a nation have exhibited patriotism.  Our Founding Fathers risked everything in pursuit of freedom; they faced certain death should our revolution have failed, yet they were so completely devoted to securing our freedom and our new nation that they pressed forward regardless of the consequences of failure.  They were successful in achieving our independence, and despite the tumultuous days in the aftermath of our revolution and the challenges of governing our new nation, they were joined together by a common bond that surmounted all their difference—patriotism. 

Our history has been a long and continuous journey fraught with differences and divisions and conflicts along the way—from the War of 1812 to the Civil War that nearly ended our history as one nation to two World Wars that jeopardized the freedom of the entire world to a Great Depression that brought us to our knees to scandals that rocked our presidency and threatened to challenge our standing throughout the world to the Cold War that pitted the free world against the dark forces of communism to conflicts in Southeast Asia and the Middle East that divided us at home and abroad.  But throughout it all, we have joined together as Americans, no matter how our judgments may have differed, and we have persevered no matter what the challenge or how deep the divisions.  In the final analysis, we are all Americans and our patriotism has always kept us strong, united, and free.  The love we have for our country and our ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all are the envy of the world, and so long as we never forget who and what we are and so long as we never lose that love of country and devotion to our ideals we shall always be free.  

But the dark times of late have led many to question our patriotism and what it means to be patriotic.  In the aftermath of the unprovocated terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, Americans joined together in the greatest outpouring of brotherly love, compassion, and support that we have seen in modern times.  We cried together; we mourned together; we rallied together, united behind our President, in support of our military which began a mandate of hunting down the perpetrators of the atrocities.  The American flag waved proudly at homes and businesses.  We displayed red, white, and blue stickers on our cars.  Red, white, and blue ribbons were ubiquitous as were American flag pins on our lapels and jackets that served as small, material reminders of our patriotism.  We honoured heroes whose acts of bravery and selflessness in the face of danger saved lives and made a difference in those fateful hours of September 11^th, and we called them patriots for what they did. 

Unfortunately, as time has passed, the small displays of patriotism have slowly faded—rather than worn and tattered ribbons or flags, there has been a conspicuous disappearance of those small items that we were so proud to put forth in the aftermath of notable events that bound us together.  Some have even gone as far as to desecrate our flag and dishonour our troops through contemptible acts such as flag burning and protesting at the funerals of fallen service men and women.  Whilst unpatriotic, these acts seem to reflect a growing disenfranchisement with our country. 

But in a larger sense, we cannot define patriotism by small acts or displays of red, white, and blue or by simply saying patriotism is love of one’s country.  In doing so, we open the possibility that terrorists, tyrants, or dictators be placed in the same category as patriots who have fought and died for our country.  Rather, we should consider what America stands for and what it means to be an American.  Perhaps a combination of this and the definition of patriotism would provide a better understanding of what patriotism really is—lest we forget.

It seems that in the last few decades we have relegated the concept of “America” to the recesses of our minds, perhaps as a result of continual denigration of our country by foreign nationals and nations, only to resurface in times of crises or in the face of grave circumstances.  Fifty years ago, the youth of America were instilled with a keen understanding of patriotism and what America is about.  If they did not learn this from a relative who fought and sacrificed in World War II or Korea to protect the freedom of the world from the dark forces of the Nazi empire and communism, they learned this from their friend who lost an uncle or a brother or from the town hero down the street or from their teachers in school.  They learned that being an American means being free and vigilant against threats to our freedom and to our allies.  They learned that we are the protectors of the sacred and envied ideals of liberty, justice, and rights of the people—rights carefully enumerated in our Constitution that has stood the test of time.  America’s duty is to protect and defend that freedom.

Throughout the world there are billions of people who live in oppression and fear of their tyrannical, dictatorial leaders who will go to any lengths to prevent their peoples from having even the smallest taste of freedom.  These people look to us and what rights we have here in America—the land of the free, the shining city on a hill.  Some of these peoples hate us for what we stand for, as it is so totally against their long-held beliefs that to suggest the people should tell their government what to do is to be a heretic—an evildoer.  Their hatred, and perhaps envy, is so great that they will seek to destroy us and all that we stand for so as to erase all hope from the minds of their oppressed peoples.  Ours is a fundamental difference in ideals that is, perhaps, too difficult to overcome. 

     But for many others, America is a beacon and offers hope of a better way of life.  They seek freedom from oppression and the prospect of a better life than an existence in a land where there is no hope and no chance to better themselves.  They seek refuge from persecution for daring to think on their own and believe in something other than what they are told to believe.  They seek opportunity in America—opportunity to live, work, prosper, build a life and family, vote, and have rights—that is not available to them at home and never will be.  Our forefathers came here for that very same reason.  And now, centuries later, millions of peoples throughout the world still seek to come to America for the same reasons and look to us for help in securing freedom and liberty.

     As a result of this and our status as the world’s sole superpower, we are held to a high standard, and our every action is scrutinized and assessed, sometimes unjustly, against the ideals we espouse as being right.  We have become the de facto guardian of freedom in the West and the chief promoter of democracy throughout the world.  Undoubtedly, this position makes us unpopular, particularly to oppressive regimes, and makes us a target for those who seek to stop the spread of freedom.  But even within our own country, there are those who oppose expressing the greatness of America, for they see this as some form of hidden fascism.  Those who are opposed to this evidently don’t believe in the greatness of our country and may tend to be obstructionists in espousing all that is right with America.     

As Americans, we recognize that our position in the world may make us unpopular and despised, and we stand behind our ideals upon which we were founded as a nation.  We will seek to defend and protect our freedoms and our rights when they are challenged by the forces of evil.  We will stand united, as one, no matter how great the opposition, and we will never compromise or sacrifice the rights for which we have fought and died throughout our history.  And we must be humble, recognizing that ours is the envy of the world and that we are fortunate that God has blessed us with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  And we must sympathize with those who strive to be a part of the greatness of America—those who yearn for freedom and a new way of life.  And we must take satisfaction from those who do get to taste the greatness of America and who help to make us stronger.  But in doing this, we must not allow our identity as America to be corroded by the waves of immigrants seeking our shores.  To do this is to set us on a path of gradually forgetting who we are and eroding the greatness of America that has been built over the generations and that has come at great cost.  Let us preserve and protect this.