We celebrated our nation’s independence recently and it got me thinking about patriotism. Patriotism is a word that means different things to different people, so I want to make it clear this is just my interpretation. And since all good definitions are both inclusive and exclusive, I will begin with what I believe patriotism is not.
Patriotism is not breast beating or saber rattling or slogan shouting. It is not belligerent jingoism. It is not fanatical, in-your-face flag waving or allegiance pledging. It is not anthem singing at every dog fight and tractor pull, something that cheapens our nation’s anthem to me.
Such displays are merely virtue-signaling manifestations of right-wing nationalists who have attempted to appropriate our nation’s flag and related symbols for their own narrow and exclusionary interpretation of America. Indeed, they have been so successful at doing so that many Americans now feel uncomfortable displaying our flag for fear of being confused as one of them.
No, real patriotism is a deep and abiding love and respect for one’s country – not the country we wish it were, but the country it is, warts and all. For that reason, real patriotism is not “my country, right or wrong,” it’s “my country, right or we’ll fix it.” It’s recognizing our country sometimes makes mistakes and being willing to admit those mistakes and correct them.
Real patriotism is about respecting our nation’s institutions while also recognizing their imperfections. It’s about observing federal, state and local laws and ordinances, even those we disagree with or find inconvenient. It’s about respecting the results of free and fair elections even if our candidate didn’t win. It’s about paying our fair share of taxes, even if we disagree with some of the uses to which they are put. It’s about finding common ground and compromise with those whose values and beliefs we do not share, while at the same time staying true to our core principles.
Real patriotism is recognizing that all of us, no matter how self-made we believe we are, stand on the shoulders of those who came before. It’s about being grateful to them for the legacy they left us. It’s about recognizing that blind, dumb luck is probably more responsible than anything for the fact that we exist in this time and place and enjoy the highest quality of life of any humans who have ever inhabited this planet.
Real patriotism is appreciation for a country that allows us the liberty to pursue our individual aspirations while also recognizing our responsibility to support and sustain the society that without which our lives would almost certainly be much more solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.