A Real Patriot
Political and religious zealots who wrap themselves in the flag and
the Bible and refuse to open their minds to the real world do
themselves and their country no good service. They are neither
patriots nor good citizens; they serve only themselves and not
their fellows.
Those who refuse to inform themselves politically are directly
responsible for the current crisis in our leadership. Citizens must actively
participate in a democracy or they will lose it because democracies are the
most fragile forms of government because they rely on an informed,
participating citizenry. To not vote because a citizen is uninformed is to guarantee the doom of democracy. When a person closes his mind
to any facet of his world, he diminishes not only his life but the
lives of others. To not be open-minded to the realities of
democracy is to guarantee its failure. Democracies are under
attack everywhere and those who close-mindedly refuse
to inform themselves and do not participate are the vanguard of that attack.
Wrapping oneself in the flag, using the bible as the only source of
truth, and refusing to be a student of politics are recipes for the end
of democracy. Big Brother, the Thought Police, and the laws of the
Orwellian world cannot be far behind. The Orwellian laws are War
is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. Do these
statements sound familiar? The Iraq War makes the world safe, people
must give up their freedoms (Patriot Act), because the country is involved in a fraudulent war, and our ignorance is strength because our leaders know what is best for
us. Orwell’s world is so close to being our world that informed
actions are paramount if the United States is to survive.
So a patriot must be an active, informed citizen who knows what his
government is doing and helps shape his own destiny. He does not
wrap himself in the flag, because the wrap emotionally blinds his vision of
reality. A patriot supports the flag only as a symbol of his country.
A patriot is an egalitarian who always works for the greatest good
for the greatest number. He is a humanitarian that looks at the
welfare of all humanity and realizes that all people are brothers
trying to do the best they can under the circumstances. He believes
he can influence and shape those circumstances as a citizen not a partisan of his republic.
A patriot must be a realist looking at the world straight on. His
personal religion and philosophy must remain personal, for his own
use and not be foisted on his fellows. Mark Twain in” Reflections
on Religion” wrote, “The fleets of the world could swim in spacious comfort in the innocent blood Christianity has spilt.” And Christianity is just one of the world’s religions. Our current wars are wars of religion … Ireland, the Middle East, Old Yugoslavia,
India and Pakistan. Fueling religious fervor does great harm to a state. Dubya said God told him to invade Iraq so our Oil Field Wars have a religious tinge. Religious proselytizing is the great enemy of the common good so a patriot must keep his religion personal.
A patriot must be an authentic human being, whole, balanced and reflective. Samuel Johnson said that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel so it can be used to hide
ulterior motives, to arouse and deceive. A patriot is not a Democrat or a Republican; he
is a democrat who is an activist concerned with the greatest good
for the greatest number. He knows that he is never more secure and
happy than is the meekest and mildest citizen of his republic.
While looking out for himself and his family, he also looks out for
his fellows. A patriot is much more than a person who closes his
mind while wrapping himself in his flag. A patriot is much more
than a person who loses himself in the bible. A patriot is an
active, informed citizen of his nation and of the world always
looking out for the greatest good for the greatest number. A patriot is an idealist who sees his country as a part of the entire world, making life the best it can be …for everybody.
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