WHAT IS PATRIOTISM?

Dear fellow lovers of liberty: I was just thinking.

Patriotism is not a flag that is flown on a day that few realize the significance. Nor, is it the recitation of a pledge to that flag, for, there is an obligatory desire to participate. Patriotism is not necessarily the fighting in wars that support the maintenance of freedom or even dying in those wars, for, conscription can carry a warrior to battle. Patriotism is not the apple pie that Mom makes nor the gathering around the family table at Thanksgiving to consume that pie, for, the hearth of home is a draw to any occasion. Patriotism is not any of the symbolic gestures that we as Americans celebrate or laud.

No, patriotism is not a thing to be celebrated only, rather the feeling of love for liberty and freedom and that intangible that can only be understood by those who embrace that which our founders, with the blessings of God, gave us. A feeling that transcends physical feelings of good health, national security, or food on the table. Patriotism is a feeling that only the grateful can relish and celebrate. Not with flags, fireworks, or frivolity, though those activities are part of the American persona, but with a deep appreciation for what we have inherited and a desire to pass to our posterity that which we have received.

Patriotism is also our responsibility to ensure that the American dream never dies but shines as a beacon to a world in despair. Patriotism was forged with the words of our founders when they pledged: "....our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Kershaw Getty