Responsibility
and Patriotism
It is a word we use
almost casually. Responsibility.
But what does it mean?
What is “responsibility”
and to whom are we responsible?
To ourself?
To our family?
To neighbors?
To our country?
To the underprivileged?
To the poor around the
world?
To future generations?
To the Earth?
What is our
responsibility to each or any of these?
What are the
implications of failure to live up to any or all of these responsibilities? Is
there a price to be paid? Are there consequences for what we decide to do or
not to do?
Ask 100 people these
questions and you might get 100 different answers. And in the process learn
something about the character and background of the person giving the
answer.
At the same time, it is
important to remember that there are no "right" or "wrong"
answers to the questions. Our "freedom" as Americans includes the
right to have different opinions.
Ask yourself these
questions and answer them to the best of your ability. Your answers might
surprise you.
This line of questions
occurred to me recently, because, in conjunction with the Fourth of July, a
radio talk show was asking listeners to call in with their personal definitions
of “patriotism.”
As I listened, I
realized that, for me, patriotism was a form of responsibility that I have to
my nation.
Patriotism, for me, is my personal responsibility to be a
good citizen and to protect those qualities that make my nation special, and
worth protecting.
I was also thinking
about what patriotism is not, and realized that those things, that patriotism
is not, are things that I don't feel a strong responsibility to protect.
For example: The
American Flag.
Don't get me wrong. We
have a great flag. It symbolizes the history and sacrifice that our country has
gone through.
But more importantly to
me, it symbolizes the principles that our country stands for. These principles
are set out in the foundational documents of our country, the Declaration of
Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Those foundational principles
are what I believe need to be protected by patriots.
So when I hear that
someone exercising their right of free speech is being proposed for prosecution
because they chose to to protest a government policy they disagree with by
burning the American flag, my responsibility is to protect the
foundational principle that was being exercised, free speech, rather than the
flag, which is only a symbol of that principle.
There are many people in
this country who don’t understand that distinction, and it puzzles me that they
don’t get it. And if they choose to disagree with me, I’ll defend their right
to do that as well.
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