True Patriotism: Why We're So Far Off Base

‘I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him …’

— Abraham Lincoln,

On the meaning of true patriotism

Patriotism is defined as a love for or a devotion to one’s country, and there’s a surge of it around certain holidays or when we hear a moving speech pondering us to think of sacrifice and brave victory exemplifying the American spirit. But it doesn’t seem many carry the feeling of Patriotism with them in their day-to-day lives … In essence, they’re fair-weather, feel-good patriots.

And what’s wrong with that, really? We all have a swell of emotion from time to time. Whether it’s from a sappy song on the radio or a scene in a movie or a passage in a book suddenly making us want to be a better people or do things in our lives differently, emotional response inspires change. But more than likely, we’ll hold on to it for a few minutes or days, then we sink back into our normal routines and don’t even remember what the emotion felt like.

Such is the same with patriotism. We put our flags away, start in with criticizing our government or whatever else is wrong in this country and we don’t do a damn thing about it. Such is our human nature.

This is why TRUE patriotism is seemingly dead in this country. It has been boiled down to an emotional response to times passed when pride ran high and actions spoke louder than words ever could. With our patriotic holidays, we revere actions that gave us the freedoms we have today and put into place crucial documents on which we have built an amazing society.

It seems we have stopped understanding that patriotism – just like any other prideful emotion we can get jacked up on – is something that needs to be sustained and fed. As it is defined, it is a love for and a devotion to one’s country – not a swell of emotion felt once or twice a year. In essence, it is a quality one possesses and is a lifestyle of sorts.

We see this quality – the true patriot quality – in our soldiers or in those who serve this country in other ways. We see it in people who are constantly striving to make us a better nation because every breath of their being cries out for change and to fight for that change.

These citizens see it as their patriotic duty to not only stand up for this country but work diligently in sometimes hostile circles to achieve drastic results for improving upon America. They don’t consider their patriotism to be an emotion. It is a way of life and their duty as citizens of this country. They don’t seek fame. They might not even be standing up waving a flag somewhere – they’re just putting their patriotic words – the love they have for their country – into action.

As Constitutional Conservatives, we espouse and believe in a document on which this country was founded and built. We’ve seen this document become less and less relevant in the education taking place in our schools and in the lives of those governing us on Capitol Hill and in state capitals across this country. And as supporters of this great document AND of the greatness this country was founded on, we are obligated to be true patriots. Patriots with emotional connections to our past and actionable follow thru for our future – dedicated to making this country bigger, better and brighter than we found it and CONSERVING the patriotic principles it was founded upon.

We can’t simply stand around waving, wearing and sporting flags on holidays honoring our country’s birth or mourning the sacrifices by our troops and truly call ourselves patriots of this country. And we can’t continue to talk about the change we want to see in America, within our inner circles and not be willing to go out and do something about it. Our desire to be true patriots of this great country demands our action!

We have become a nation of whiners, gripers and takers and relegated our patriotic duties to simply throwing hamburgers on the grill and throwing back a few beers on the national holidays we’ve set aside … I guess we’re lucky others – including those who valiantly defend us every single day – take their patriotism a little more seriously, otherwise our freedoms would be nonexistent and we’d be forced to say goodbye to the beloved three-day weekends these holidays sometimes afford.

A Harvard study, released earlier this year and later expanded upon in a press release, has stated ‘attending one Fourth of July parade or event before age 18 increases the likelihood of kids identifying as a Republican by at least 2 percent and voting for the Republican candidate by 4 percent. It also increases voter turnout by 0.9 percent and boosts political campaign contributions by 3 percent.’

This goes to show you active patriotism and encouraging it plays into our Conservatives hand very nicely, right?

It’s amazing what can actually make you think about deep diving into a concept that’s been more or less a generic part of your being. As American citizens, we are taught that patriotism is just something we feel and it is in all of us because we do value our freedoms.

This week I was challenged by a newly-met friend who is liberal, as to what TRUE PATRIOTISM, which is something I speak of in my biography notes within this publication, really means to me. Pondering the subject brought up a dialog within myself which then flowed over into this column – and now will be practiced a little more earnestly because it is with all my heart I see the need to allow the love I have for this country flow out into actionable change. It’s something I hope we will all do.

Stop the griping. And get to work. It’s what the first patriots of this country did and it’s what we should do, too.

Oh, and to my new liberal friend … I thank you for the inspiration … and look forward to sparring with you in the future … via email, txt or whatever means you desire.