When I was a schoolboy, I was instilled with a deep love and respect for my country; The United
States of America. A
spell was put on me drenched in swirling patriotism, justice and a desire to
see equality for all mankind.
I swelled
with pride every morning as we spoke the Pledge of Allegiance in school, hand
over my heart, absolute and
resolute in my patriotism. I believed the U.S.A. was indeed the greatest
Nation.
I was so
filled with amazement by what a determined group of men and women could do to
forge a government
from the philosophies of Voltaire, and make it real.
The notion
that all are endowed with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness; and that it
is our human destiny to be free. Freedom, no matter the cost, was an intrinsic
right, like breathing. It was sacred, holy, and unquestionably good.
As a
teenager, like all teenagers, I began to question those unshakable beliefs. I began to wonder if the punch I had been drinking
might be more bitter than I was led to believe. Perhaps it was not all so
sweet, pure and freshly squeezed.
The wrinkles
of history, the cracks in the legends of Democracy began to become more
apparent, the mortar on which I had laid my bricks of patriotism was weak. I recoiled in horror at the things done in the name of
Freedom, Equality and the pursuit of happiness. The dark side of liberty.
My 20’s, I can’t
really remember with much accuracy my feelings about my country. I remember touting
the blessings of a free people, a free government and the right to drink on a rooftop balcony while fireworks exploded in
the background and I screamed about how awesome we were.
2001 arrived
and brought with it such wrath against the United States of America from lands
that seemed far too distant. I didn’t know then, how much some of the rest of
the world just didn’t like us, how they
hated us. I was sad that we, as a country, had created such vitriolic hate
through our policies, our greed
and ignorance.
I mourned
the loss of that Country my younger self had so eagerly and willingly believed
in. I was sad for my own blindness and loss of innocence. I was ashamed that I believed
in a Country that didn’t seem to exist any
longer. I felt grief like I had lost my best friend.
Yet, the
mourning, slowly turned to a sort of historic anger. That we had allowed
ourselves to be sucked into the very beliefs that our founders had warned us
about. They knew, even in their own time, that delicate balance a Republic must
maintain, and the work that must be done to protect those rights we feel deep
within our hearts and to defeat despots, tyrants and manipulators of fear in
our own backyards.
Now, in my
40’s, I still believe in the U.S.A. and the ideals for which we stand. I
believe a people, united, can learn
from the mistakes of history and create a vision of the future long dreamed of
by those people that
read a little Voltaire, and thought, “That could work!”
We can
create that country, that was so impressive to a young boy in grammar school learning
about his own place in society. We can be a benevolent and just country, if we
only try. I long to feel that swell of pride in my chest as I did as a young
man.
We are
always evolving as a country, open to new ideas, people and exploring the potential
for all persons to rise to the challenge’s freedom presents. We can be
inclusive, generous, and strive for fairness. We can.
As we
celebrate our Independence Day tomorrow, I hope that torch of liberty can be
seen reflected in our eyes and each of us can smile at one another knowing that
we’re all in this together, and we’ll always be there for each other, United; and make a new generation of schoolchildren proud.
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