A Real Patriot

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.