-----------------------------
A few years back, I was touring through the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH. Underneath the largest hanger, there sat the SR-71 Blackbird, a piece of Cold War era, cutting-edge technology largely unknown until just before its retirement. Standing in front of the sleek, radar-dodging behemoth was an old man wearing a hat indicating his soldierly service. I first noticed him when he was proudly having his picture taken in front of the bird. As I approached, I kept an eye on him. He must have noticed my attention. With a tear in his eye and a slight tremble in his voice, this octogenarian – and obviously proud veteran – though bent over by the weight of his many years, puffed out his chest as if at attention and exclaimed as he pointed to the retired plane, “That is the best damn plane ever built.”
The old soldier’s words are a far cry from the headline I saw earlier this week, “Americans Somber About Bush, U.S., Iraq.” Somber? What in the world do we have to be somber about? We live in the best country ever built. Ever.
Sure, our country has had its share of black eyes. We have committed our share of abuses in the name of freedom. We have made innumerable mistakes and looked awfully foolhardy at times. But, for goodness sake, this is the country that epitomizes freedom in our world today. It is America that has stood up for the downtrodden, whether they land on their shores or whether we need to go to theirs. Grit, guts, and glory ought not be viewed pejoratively; rather, they ought to reflect the dogged determination that is part of the humble fabric of this fine nation.
This is the country of apple pie and Grape Nuts. It is the country that birthed the sky-scraper and popularized the Frisbee. This nation made electricity a common commodity and gave rise to the mass production of the automobile. Visionaries here took flight – literally – on a whacky notion that man need not be bound by gravity. Pilgrims braved treacherous seas and starvation to found a place where people can freely exercise their religion without one being established upon them.
I am plain sick and tired of the poor-mouthing that has been going on in this nation for the better part of the last decade. One side of the political spectrum accuses the other of destroying a thriving economy; the other decries their opponent’s policies as laying a brick road to eternal poverty. Some base their power on a war, others create power by undermining one. Morality is defined by the expedient and ethics by the putrid breeze of popular culture. Even the poorest among us live lavishly in comparison to the orphan on the streets of Calcutta. Somber? Give me a break!
In 1940, Don Raye penned the lyrics to the folk song, “This is My Country.” In the second chorus, Raye emphatically recites, “This is my country! Land of my choice! This is my country! Hear my proud voice! I pledge thee my allegiance, America, the bold, For this is my country to have and to hold.”
It really comes down to that: will you have and hold your country? Is this land your choice? Can you sing, “What difference if I hail from North or South, Or from East or West, My heart is full of love for all of these. I only know I swell with pride and deep within my breast, I thrill to see old glory paint the breeze?”
The choice is yours. Go somber or go proud. This is MY country.
Copyright: Jeremiah G. Dys, Esq. May not be used absent express, written permission. Please contact the author for permission to reprint.
3 comments:
Sorry, Jeremy. I'm going to have to agree with your editor on this one. This post has nothing to do with your agreed-upon subject matter.
I agree that this is possibly the best damn country that's ever existed. But that's a bittersweet acknowledgement for me, because I also agree that we have plenty to be somber about. All the things that made this country great are being thrown out the window before our very eyes, as you no doubt have noticed. We have a bloated government, one that reminds me of a 400 pound man who is so fat that he can't even get off his own couch anymore. (Ok. Maybe that's Great Britain. But the U.S. is heading that way.) And it appears to be getting bigger all the time. Governments that take up responsibility for things beyond their God-given jurisdiction are bound to collapse under the weight eventually. As you noted, public morality has thoroughly abandoned Christian ethics in favor of politically correct polytheism, mixed alternately with a healthy dose of Demos-worship. The Church in America has been on the decline since the 18th century, suffering from effeminacy, apostasy, and compromise on myriad fronts. We have a president who has taken us into a war which, by the standards of classic Just War Theory (based in Christian moral principles), is unjustifiable.
These things can only spell one thing for America, if trends don't change: downfall. As one author I read recently wrote, "We have the dubious privilege of seeing the beginning of the twilight of America's years."
I would contend, then, that it is not simply a choice between being proud or ashamed of my country. The situation is much more complex than that. I submit that the choice is rather between loving my country (and hence, wanting her to return to the LORD, that she may be blessed) and hating my country (and hence, wanting her to go in any direction other than toward Christian fidelity). Would you agree?
Alicia,
The question to which I'm asked to agree is to limiting. While I agree, in general with your premise (Americans should be somber b/c of latent immorality, big government getting bigger, and the decline of the Church), I disagree that we should yet be somber.
First, in an entirely secular sense, this is still the best country and governmental form that will allow the regeneration of the American mind. No other country can boast such freedom - of everything, including hedonism! The freedom we American enjoy, rooted in the Biblical concept of freedom, provides the most opportunity to sustain wealth, pursue happiness, and find a modicum of fulfillment. That liberalism has combined with secularism to eat away at some of those freedoms, you will not find me disagreeing. Regardless, all things being equal, this is still the best danged country and it behooves each of us to adopt it as our own, to own it in order to make those aspect we find troubling, better. Plainly, however, no other country can give such hope to its citizens.
But, from a Christian standpoint, it is the more true. While my heart is saddened by the blatant immorality that is plainly visible everywhere, my heart is overjoyed by the fact that I live here, in America where we can yet enjoy the freedom to change the hearts of the people. Again, anywhere else, that is either not possible, or so greatly difficult that its possibility is nullified by the moderation of government.
Finally, I still think my editor should have printed it. It's funny b/c he claimed to be a patriot, but yet wanted to fight for those who want to exercise their freedom under bill of rights. I'm still not sure why those two are mutually exclusive, but find it ironic that he would defend the bill of rights - including the freedom of speech and of the press - and yet censor my article. Perhaps it didn't have to do, explicitly with my typical subject matter, but the themes of patriotism are impliedly rooted in our freedom which arise out of our laws, though not deriven therefrom.
As to just war and our President, we'll have to have an offline discussion for that. Suffice to say, I'm not entirely in agreement, though I do - as we all should - pray for peace.
Alicia,
I had one additional thought. You suggested we have much to be "somber" about, just as the headline I read did. I disagree with that. Nonetheless, I would agree that we have much to be "sober" about. The state of our society and church is not one to be glib about, nor is it one to be depressed. A healthy dose of sobriety allows us to recognize the problems surrounding us, while motivating us to change things where we are able. That can only be accomplished within the present governmental framework. Or, so I think.
Post a Comment