Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.
- James Bryce
The Fourth of July always finds me conflicted. I love my country. Perhaps a better way to express my feelings would be to say that I love the idea of what my country could be.
I am deeply moved by these famous words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men* are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
I am also deeply moved that there are people in my life who have sacrificed themselves in the pursuit of this ideal.
My conflicting feelings begin to stir when I wonder if so many of the squabbles this country finds itself in are the result of self-serving interests.
* Oh yeah. . .I also get conflicted when I realize most folks don't really mean all of us. This phrase usually is translated to mean "except quite a few women, some folks of color and all queers."
1 comment:
It took me a number of years before I chose to not be "one of those people" Before the days of don't ask don't tell the military sent "moles" in to units to remove such "undesireables". We lost three soldiers to such a situation, two of which I worked with and drank with and laughed with. To this day I remember sitting at the base bar with Garfield, (her nickname). She was to be drummed out of the military but they wouldn't do it on foreign soil. She had to be flown back to the USA before she could be discharged. We drank alot that night and I helped her with her bags the following morning. Good chance that's why I didn't make Sgt over there. Some people gave their lives for our country, others in an insignificant way show us daily what's wrong with our perceptions. Thanks for the note T, it made me think of a friend.
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