Symbols

Few dates in history have cast so long a shadow as July 4, 1776 -- even though the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence took place July 3 -- some say, July 2.

It was more than two centuries ago that our founding fathers and mothers gathered in Philadelphia to pledge lives, fortunes and sacred honor to the fulfillment of a dream -- a dream unrivaled in human history.

When those people gathered in Philadelphia, the planet was governed to a greater or lesser degree by the tyranny of man over man. Kings ruled with iron fists and hobnailed boots. Opportunity was the special province of the rich. Those born poor stayed that way, and none dared question the righteousness of the establishment.

It was, as 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes put it, a life that was “nasty, brutish and short.”
Those who gathered in Philadelphia in 1776 had a different vision; a land of equal opportunity; a land where the governors worked for the governed.
Today, that dream is in large part a reality. And it was Abraham Lincoln who said during the Civil War:  “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
We would do well to remember that the freedom Lincoln spoke about can’t be found by simply waving or displaying the flag. Freedom is not present in any manner simply because we wish it to be so.

Freedom is not material. It is an idea that requires nurturing and affirmation through the free flow of information and ideas.  Freedom requires an informed, involved citizenry to grow and remain vibrant.

And freedom must be protected -- as least as strenuously against those who would crush ideas -- as against any nation’s military.
Freedom thrives with us as people through expressions of sentiment and desire, and in us as a nation through the ideal that all humans are created equal, with liberty and justice -- indeed, for all.

Those words remain just words in the mouths of those who are idol (or idle) flag wavers, and the cloth just pieces of fabric in the hands of those who wave them without really knowing why.

Waving the flag is said to be symbolic of patriotism. Patriotism (call it loyalty) should not mean blind submission to the flag or any other symbols. Independent thought, nurtured by the free press flow of information and ideas, is the cornerstone of this country. Loyalty is not a down-with-Bin Laden placard written in haste to join the crowds on television.

Loyalty (call it patriotism) means a dedication and extension to others of the constitutional provisions of liberty and justice. Patriotism should mean more than the convenience of a bumper sticker flag. Or a lapel pin.

And finally, patriotism/loyalty (call it citizenship) means taking the time to fully appreciate the responsibility of ones actions, and not taking for granted that the force historically implied in flying the flag is all there is, or all there should be.

If belief in the strength, character and human beauty of this nation is not found within us as citizens, then it cannot be found in a ceremony, or in a day set aside to celebrate -- or even in the flag itself.

Nor will the nation that believes so ultimately prosper.