So, it seems I’m raising a patriot. I’m a little a
surprised, I don’t mind telling you, though honestly, it should not be a
surprise. As we grow older we often revert to our roots and find
comfort in the things that we were surrounded by in our youth – even if
we rebelled against it. For those who have known me for a while, you
know that the dining room of my childhood home was filled with framed
images of Ronald Reagan and a few of George H. Bush. Despite my obvious
liberal leanings in the eyes of my parents, I attended Young Republican
rallies and was even selected to go with my hometown’s Republican
leaders to attend a rally for Bush in the late 80′s in West Tennessee.
As I matured and became even more liberal, the conservative ideals I had
been exposed to seemed foreign and unfair in my youthful eyes.
Patriotism seemed like an old-fashioned idea to which my father and his
generation clung to while the rest of the world moved on. I believed
that we should be embracing the larger ideas of tolerance and diversity
which seemed to not leave room at the table for patriotism.
Now I am firmly planted in my youthful 40′s (the new 30′s, right?) and have taken on the sometimes daunting task of raising two children. It seems I am constantly thinking of what I want to pass on to them. What will impact their lives and make them happy and successful adults? What are the values I (we) want instilled in them that will ground them as they grow older and seek to navigate this ever-changing world? Tolerance? Yes. Diversity? Yes. A strong faith in something larger them themselves (get ready for it, G-O-D)? Yes. Patriotism? Patriotism? Yes. I admit it took me a while to get back to this place. It took years of being a news junky and being overly frustrated with my own government, years of world travel and seeing what my life could look like if I were not in the greatest nation on Earth, years of seeing oppression and violence including the recent kidnapping by extremists in Nigeria for be me to come full circle to patriotism.
It
is true. We have our faults. We interfere in disputes that would be
better left alone. We have injustices of our own in the US and
frequently falter and fall. We are two-faced and lie and remove leaders
of other countries that no longer serve us in favor of those that serve
us for the moment. We favor big corporations at the expense of the
people and the environment. We preach intolerance of lifestyle choice
and still struggle with hate and racism. These are our faults and we
have many more. And, unfortunately, those faults sell.
But, we are so much more. We are much more tolerant than not. We lend hands in crisis. We live in a nation where we can affect change and see it in the states that have adopted policies and laws of tolerance and love. We feed the hungry and clean the rivers. We flock to the aid of helpless children. We support those with disabilities. Though often misguided, we aid those outside of our borders who have no control over what happens to them. Unfortunately, these stories do not sell as well, so we are left to stew over our faults and the things that make us seem less than we are and negatively impact our patriotism, our love of our country.
Today, the Sun was able to attend a ceremony at a local senior center
recognizing those who fought in the Invasion of Normandy, also known as
D-Day. When I asked him if he wanted to be part of this he responded,
“you bet I do.” He did not have to think twice. There
were even three D-Day veterans in attendance who live in the home and
though I am not entirely sure of their age, they must be at least 88
years old to have been part of that operation. The men and women who
fought or took care of wounded on that day in France did so because they
were patriots. They believed in something greater than themselves. If
you are unsure if patriotism still lives and has importance in our
lives, look across the pond to today’s celebrations in France of their
liberation from German occupation.
I am choked up thinking about my son and his patriotism which sits firmly alongside his own liberal tendencies. You see, I believe there is room at the table for liberalism and patriotism. One does not exclude the other.
“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.” -Khalil Gibran
Now I am firmly planted in my youthful 40′s (the new 30′s, right?) and have taken on the sometimes daunting task of raising two children. It seems I am constantly thinking of what I want to pass on to them. What will impact their lives and make them happy and successful adults? What are the values I (we) want instilled in them that will ground them as they grow older and seek to navigate this ever-changing world? Tolerance? Yes. Diversity? Yes. A strong faith in something larger them themselves (get ready for it, G-O-D)? Yes. Patriotism? Patriotism? Yes. I admit it took me a while to get back to this place. It took years of being a news junky and being overly frustrated with my own government, years of world travel and seeing what my life could look like if I were not in the greatest nation on Earth, years of seeing oppression and violence including the recent kidnapping by extremists in Nigeria for be me to come full circle to patriotism.
It
is true. We have our faults. We interfere in disputes that would be
better left alone. We have injustices of our own in the US and
frequently falter and fall. We are two-faced and lie and remove leaders
of other countries that no longer serve us in favor of those that serve
us for the moment. We favor big corporations at the expense of the
people and the environment. We preach intolerance of lifestyle choice
and still struggle with hate and racism. These are our faults and we
have many more. And, unfortunately, those faults sell.But, we are so much more. We are much more tolerant than not. We lend hands in crisis. We live in a nation where we can affect change and see it in the states that have adopted policies and laws of tolerance and love. We feed the hungry and clean the rivers. We flock to the aid of helpless children. We support those with disabilities. Though often misguided, we aid those outside of our borders who have no control over what happens to them. Unfortunately, these stories do not sell as well, so we are left to stew over our faults and the things that make us seem less than we are and negatively impact our patriotism, our love of our country.
Today, the Sun was able to attend a ceremony at a local senior center
recognizing those who fought in the Invasion of Normandy, also known as
D-Day. When I asked him if he wanted to be part of this he responded,
“you bet I do.” He did not have to think twice. There
were even three D-Day veterans in attendance who live in the home and
though I am not entirely sure of their age, they must be at least 88
years old to have been part of that operation. The men and women who
fought or took care of wounded on that day in France did so because they
were patriots. They believed in something greater than themselves. If
you are unsure if patriotism still lives and has importance in our
lives, look across the pond to today’s celebrations in France of their
liberation from German occupation.I am choked up thinking about my son and his patriotism which sits firmly alongside his own liberal tendencies. You see, I believe there is room at the table for liberalism and patriotism. One does not exclude the other.
“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.” -Khalil Gibran
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