The True Meaning of Patriotism
Patriotism Is Not the Waving of a Flag
Patriotism these days is like Christmas—lots of people caught up in a festive atmosphere replete with lights and spectacles. We hear reminders about “the true meaning” of Christmas—and we may even mutter a few guilt-ridden words to that effect ourselves—but each of us spends more time and thought in parties, gift-giving, and the other paraphernalia of a secularized holiday than we do deepening our devotion to the true meaning.
So it is with patriotism, especially on Memorial Day in May, Flag Day in June, and Independence Day in July. Walk down Main Street America and ask one citizen after another what patriotism means and with few exceptions, you’ll get a passel of the most self-righteous but superficial and often dead-wrong answers. America’s Founders, the men and women who gave us reason to be patriotic in the first place, would think we’ve lost our way if they could see us now.
Since the infamous attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans in near unanimity have been “feeling” patriotic. For most, that sadly suffices to make one a solid patriot. But if I’m right, it’s time for Americans to take a refresher course.
Patriotism is not love of country, if by “country” you mean scenery—amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesty, and the like. Almost every country has pretty collections of rocks, water, and stuff that people grow and eat. If that’s what patriotism is all about, then Americans have precious little for which we can claim any special or unique love. And surely, patriotism cannot mean giving one’s life for a river or a mountain range.
Patriotism is not blind trust in anything our leaders tell us or do. That just replaces some lofty concepts with mindless goose-stepping.
Patriotism is not simply showing up to vote. You need to know a lot more about what motivates a voter before you judge his patriotism. He might be casting a ballot because he just wants something at someone else’s expense. Maybe he doesn’t much care where the politician he’s hiring gets it. Remember Dr. Johnson’s wisdom: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
Waving the flag can be an outward sign of patriotism, but let’s not cheapen the term by ever suggesting that it’s anything more than a sign. And while it’s always fitting to mourn those who lost their lives simply because they resided on American soil, that too does not define patriotism.
People in every country and in all times have expressed feelings of something we flippantly call “patriotism,” but that just begs the question. What is this thing, anyway? Can it be so cheap and meaningless that a few gestures and feelings make you patriotic?
Not in my book.
I subscribe to a patriotism rooted in ideas that in turn gave birth to a country, but it’s the ideas that I think of when I’m feeling patriotic. I’m a patriotic American because I revere the ideas that motivated the Founders and compelled them, in many instances, to put their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the line.
What ideas? Read the Declaration of Independence again. Or, if you’re like most Americans these days, read it for the very first time. It’s all there. All men are created equal. They are endowed not by government but by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Premier among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Government must be limited to protecting the peace and preserving our liberties, and doing so through the consent of the governed. It’s the right of a free people to rid themselves of a government that becomes destructive of those ends, as our Founders did in a supreme act of courage and defiance more than two hundred years ago.
Call it freedom. Call it liberty. Call it whatever you want, but it’s the bedrock on which this nation was founded and from which we stray at our peril. It’s what has defined us as Americans. It’s what almost everyone who has ever lived on this planet has yearned for. It makes life worth living, which means it’s worth fighting and dying for.
An American Spin
I know that this concept of patriotism puts an American spin on the term. But I don’t know how to be patriotic for Uganda or Paraguay. I hope the Ugandans and Paraguayans have lofty ideals they celebrate when they feel patriotic, but whether or not they do is a question you’ll have to ask them. I can only tell you what patriotism means to me as an American.
I understand that America has often fallen short of the superlative ideas expressed in the Declaration. That hasn’t diminished my reverence for them, nor has it dimmed my hope that future generations of Americans will be re-inspired by them.
This brand of patriotism, in fact, gets me through the roughest and most cynical of times. My patriotism is never affected by any politician’s failures, or any shortcoming of some government policy, or any slump in the economy or stock market. I never cease to get that “rush” that comes from watching Old Glory flapping in the breeze, no matter how far today’s generations have departed from the original meaning of those stars and stripes. No outcome of any election, no matter how adverse, makes me feel any less devoted to the ideals our Founders put to pen in 1776. Indeed, as life’s experiences mount, the wisdom of what giants like Jefferson and Madison bestowed on us becomes ever more apparent to me. I get more fired up than ever to help others come to appreciate the same things.
During a recent visit to the land of my ancestors, Scotland, I came across a few very old words that gave me pause. Though they preceded our Declaration of Independence by 456 years, and come from three thousand miles away, I can hardly think of anything ever written here that more powerfully stirs in me the patriotism I’ve defined above. In 1320, in an effort to explain why they had spent the previous 30 years in bloody battle to expel the invading English, Scottish leaders ended their Declaration of Arbroath with this line: “It is not for honor or glory or wealth that we fight, but for freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.”
Freedom—understanding it, living it, teaching it, and supporting those who are educating others about its principles. That, my fellow Americans, is what patriotism should mean to each of us today.
Comment by Rick Lowe on 4 July 2009:
Fabulous as usual Mr. Reed.
Freedom seems to have become calls for more and more of government doing everything for us.
As your ancestors knew, that’s the road to giving up our freedoms.
Comment by taylor on 8 July 2009:
Amazing. This is rilly inspirational.
Comment by Michael Morrison on 22 June 2010:
Absolutely magnificent! To quote Rick Lowe, “as usual.”
Mr. Reed is a truly admirable scholar and thinker.
His comments here should be reprinted frequently.
Pingback by American Patriotism on 5 July 2010:
[...] The True Meaning of Patriotism I subscribe to a patriotism rooted in ideas that in turn gave birth to a country, but it’s the ideas that I think of when I’m feeling patriotic. I’m a patriotic American because I revere the ideas that motivated the Founders and compelled them, in many instances, to put their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the line. [...]
Comment by GoLd3nGuItAr on 24 August 2010:
great article. really helps. It gives me a good idea and just awesome
Comment by Anonymous on 27 September 2010:
i think you are right
Comment by Wandera on 3 June 2011:
Great and inspirational article. As a Ugandan, I strongly believe in and subscribe to the patriotism, rooted in ideas that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed not by government but by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
Comment by kakulu Betty on 19 December 2011:
its really inspiring especially for developing countries like Uganda where patriotism is being taught and enforced to young people who are taught songs and laws and they have no idea why they are learning them. we used to sing the national anthem only on school parades and we didn’t even know the words…just mumbled along.These days we only see the flags when there’s another president coming into the country or during the NRM and independence days. If you asked a Ugandan if they are proud of their country, they will start by informing you of the worst things in Uganda. Would they die for their country,…i don’t think so.
Comment by a187478 on 5 February 2012:
I’ve said that least 187478 times. SCK was here
Comment by vacation rentals in siesta key on 5 February 2012:
Its great as your other posts : D, regards for posting .
Comment by Chasity Hinks on 6 February 2012:
Have you ever considered publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my visitors would appreciate your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.
Comment by search on 6 February 2012:
Howdy would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re working with? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a fair price? Cheers, I appreciate it!
Comment by gravesend electrician on 6 February 2012:
I must express my respect for your kindness giving support to individuals who have the need for assistance with this question. Your very own dedication to getting the message along came to be remarkably useful and have in every case enabled workers much like me to realize their pursuits. Your personal insightful information means this much a person like me and a whole lot more to my mates. Best wishes; from everyone of us.
Comment by london photocopier on 6 February 2012:
Good day very cool blog!! Guy .. Excellent .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally¡KI am happy to find a lot of helpful information right here within the publish, we need work out extra techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
Comment by clairvoyant phone readings on 7 February 2012:
As a Beginner, I am at all times looking on-line for articles that can help me. Thank you https://www.lifereader.com/psychics/clairvoyant_phone_readings
Comment by Automatic Toilet Seat on 7 February 2012:
it is really good post,thank you!
Comment by Medical Answering Service on 7 February 2012:
you’ve got an essential weblog appropriate here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my blog?
Comment by office photocopier on 7 February 2012:
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thanks again
Comment by Healthy Food on 7 February 2012:
In the awesome design of things you’ll receive a B- with regard to effort. Exactly where you lost me personally was in the details. As they say, details make or break the argument.. And that couldn’t be more correct right here. Having said that, permit me reveal to you what exactly did work. The writing can be extremely convincing which is most likely why I am taking the effort to opine. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Next, whilst I can easily see a leaps in reason you make, I am not really certain of just how you seem to unite the ideas which inturn help to make the actual conclusion. For now I will subscribe to your position but hope in the future you connect your dots much better.
Comment by Home and Garden Furniture on 7 February 2012:
Some truly nice stuff on this internet web site , I enjoy it.
Comment by Arkham city crack donwload free on 7 February 2012:
My wife and i have been so delighted Louis managed to round up his investigation through the precious recommendations he received from your very own blog. It’s not at all simplistic to simply possibly be offering tactics which some others could have been selling. And we all fully grasp we have the website owner to be grateful to for that. The entire illustrations you made, the simple site menu, the friendships your site help foster – it’s got everything extraordinary, and it’s really letting our son in addition to the family believe that this concept is brilliant, which is certainly highly mandatory. Thank you for all!
Comment by fotografia slubna bydgoszcz on 7 February 2012:
That is the very best post I study as of nowadays.Where did you got all the information from? This really is extremely helpful and incredibly education. I will stay awhile in here. Worth reading each and every words!Thumbs up!I would like to do link exchange with you. My site about electronic consume review.
Trackback by stop spam plugin on 7 February 2012:
Blog Spammed…
[...]Here is a Great site You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You To See For Yourself[...]……
Comment by dreamhost coupons codes on 7 February 2012:
I am curious to find out what blog system that you are making use of? Im having some small security troubles with my latest web site and Id like to discover something more risk-free. Do you’ve got any suggestions? Hmm it looks like your blog ate my initial comment (it was super long) so I guess Ill just sum it up what I wrote and say, Im thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring weblog blogger but Im still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions and hints for rookie blog writers? Id certainly appreciate it.
Comment by psychic readings online on 8 February 2012:
The subsequent time I learn a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a good deal as this 1. I mean, I know it was my option to read, nevertheless I truly thought youd have something attention-grabbing to say. All I hear is really a bunch of whining about something which you possibly can repair when you werent too busy on the lookout for attention.
Comment by pawnbrokers on 8 February 2012:
you use a great weblog here! do you need to make some invite posts on my weblog?
Trackback by Donna Robinson on 29 April 2012:
Donna Robinson…
[...]j It’s onerous to seek out knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound or[...]…
Comment by free remote support on 11 May 2012:
I have seen many useful things on your web-site about computers. However, I have the viewpoint that netbooks are still not quite powerful more than enough to be a good selection if you usually do things that require many power, like video croping and editing. But for net surfing, word processing, and a lot other prevalent computer work they are just great, provided you never mind the little screen size. Appreciate sharing your ideas.