Patriotism

I love this country. Independence Day elicits a host of emotions.  I'm very grateful to have been born in the USA.  I'm hesitant to say I'm proud of something I didn't have anything to do with (the place of my birth), but I'm definitely glad I got to spend my life as an American.  I'm moved by the parades and ceremonies celebrating our history and all the patriots who have served and still serve this great country.  While I'm uncomfortable equating patriotism with militarism, I am certainly humbled by the service of the military.  I am equally humbled by the brave patriots who have served our country in countless other ways.  Today, millions around the world fight for an opportunity to participate in a democratic process in their homeland.  That fight was fought here many years ago. Our fight is to keep the democratic process functioning. I need only participate.

"In his famous little book, On Liberty, John Stuart Mill argued that silencing an opinion is 'a peculiar evil.'  If the opinion is right, we are robbed of the 'opportunity of exchanging error for truth'; and if it's wrong, we are deprived of a deeper understanding of the truth in 'its collision with error.' If we know only our own side of the argument, we hardly know even that; it becomes stale, soon learned only by rote, untested, a pallid and lifeless truth."*

Absolutist ideology gums up the works. Our two party system demands rational, reasoned, respectful discourse. It just doesn't work if one side or the other is vilified or demonized. We can all do our patriotic service to this great country by participating in that process.  If we don't exercise our rights to a free press and free speech, we might as well not have them. The more of us who participate in the dialogue and in the voting booth, the better the democracy operates. Let's get as many people involved in the process as possible. Let's listen and read with an open mind, share our thoughts and ideas and do our patriotic best to keep this a government of the people, by the people and for the people.  God bless America.

*Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, "Parade Magazine", Sept. 8, 1991