The Evolution of Patriotism

The last Saturday of May our youth group would make our annual trip to Letchworth State Park, leaving early in the morning and coming home after dark.  Once everyone was on board, Mr. Timby, a very patient bus driver, would pull out of the church parking lot, listen to the chatter of 30 teenagers, and occasionally join in our songs during the hour and a half ride from Buffalo to the ‘Grand Canyon of the East.’  At our picnic area there were mandatory organized games and then choices of softball, swimming, or hiking.  I usually came home tired and with my first sunburn of the summer.

That was tradition, unless the last Saturday was May 30^th.  Then our outing shifted dates as we paused to honor those who died in service to our country, for that was before Decoration Day became Memorial Day.  Also back then, Washington and Lincoln each had their own birthdays, November 11^th was Armistice, not Veteran’s Day to mark the beginning of peace after World War I, and all holidays fell on an actual date, not the forced creation of a 3-day weekend.  Oh, and stores were closed, not running special sales.

Patriotism has taken several forms in my lifetime.  In school there was the daily Pledge of Allegiance and hands went over hearts.  At parades, we stood as elder veterans marched by.  Things changed with Vietnam when so many of us were angry. I remember a discussion with some of my parent’s friends who were accusing protestors of being unpatriotic.  They had a hard time believing that we still got chills hearing the Star Spangled Banner while demanding equality for all or accusing leaders of being wrong. With Watergate we got disillusioned, with the slowness of reform we became apathetic.  We had to learn how to balance idealism with reality, try on materialism, and deal with diapers, glass ceilings, commutes, a shrinking world, and rapid change.  We saw the elimination of the draft and luckily we matured to separating the war from the warrior.  We had to learn the truth of what Calvin Coolidge said: “Patriotism is easy to understand in America - it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.”  I wish more of our elected officials would take that to heart.

On this holiday weekend I will agree with Sinclair Lewis, “Intellectually I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally I know she is better than every other country.”

Happy Holiday,

Marilyn