Word for today: Symbol Just outside of my front door to the left of my driveway we planted the flagpole. On it hangs the stars and stripes of the American Flag, the symbol of the country in which I live, the emblem of the freedoms I can proclaim as my own. It also reminds me that I must act to preserve these gifts so that others who come after my time can also claim the fair use of these same symbols. Today my flag hangs calmly from the top, other days it engages in a dogfight with the wind, making the sound that my sheets make when I change them, that snapping sound of cloth talking into the air that surrounds it. Flags, contrary to popular belief are never silent things. They may become background items we take for granted each day, but they are never ever without something to say on their own behalf. To me the American flag says I live in a country that allows me the freedom of expression. In claiming this right as my own, I must also grant it to others who express themselves differently. I do not have to understand all forms of art to have them appear in a museum unless I am the curator and control the narrative. Likewise I do not have to understand all forms of expression to know that the clear and inalienable right exists to those voices that have a different tenor than mine. It is part of an understanding we have with each other in this country that we will freely disagree with each others points of view, but at the end of the day though I may disagree, I will defend even to death your fair right to express them. My flag reminds me to be tolerant of others points of view. I am made sober when gazing upon the colors contained in Old Glory that the price paid for all that I have and all that I am in this country was not a small one. The rivers once ran red with the blood of brother against brother, of men and women who fought for the things in which they believed, rather they won the day or lost everything. The Civil War pitted us against one another for more than the simple concept of the south against the north. It was for the honor of all men and women, for the recognition that no one of us is any better or worse than another, that how we were created is not something that elevates us or diminishes us. We are all borne of equal value. There is enough love and respect in the world to go around. Generosity of spirit lives here in abundance. I hope that never changes. When we fly our national symbol at half staff, we are collectively bowing our heads in grief. It is understood that we have all lost something vital, that we are diminished by the hole left behind by these events that leave us staggering in grief. It is the honorable thing to be humble when the world reminds us we are but a fleeting moment on this earth. More than any other one single thing, the flag reminds me that we are a country that embraces faith, and yet does not pay homage to any specific religion. We believe in one nation under God, and yet we also believe that each of us has the right to believe in our own way, or not at all. Faith in the symbols of our democracy (or Republic for those who are bothered by the improper use of that word) are all that is required to live the life you choose here. You can live in the backwoods of Appalachia or the mansions of Hollywood. You can make it here without a dollar in your pocket on the first day you arrive from the other side of our borders, or you can waste a fortune in Vegas and die penniless. Most of us exist somewhere in between. You can believe in the American Dream, or you can ignore it’s message of hope. What you cannot do is force another to stop worshiping God as they choose, or start professing faith to a God in which they do not believe. We are a country that has faith in the freedom to associate with whomever we choose, to honor God both corporately and individually as our soul feels drawn toward the light. If we plow over that while chasing the illusion of perfect security or idealism, then we will have failed to live up to our flag, the outward and visible symbol of our forefathers. On this flag day I’d like to personally thank Betsy Ross who gave us this remarkable symbol. It speaks to us of who we were, who we are and who we can be in the world. Broad stripes and bright stars that have seen us all though the long dark night of the collective soul. It claims us as brethren, calls us it’s own. Happy Flag day everyone.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:07:02 +0000
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