So I live in the United States of America, and have lived there for most of my life. Like your average American child, I went through an education system which educated us on US History. There are a few things I specifically recall about my elementary education years, and the history lessons I received.
Surprisingly, the first thing I recall is that Eastern Canada had a lot of French traders, who were trading in furs. I probably remember this first, because of all the raccoon roadkill I saw on my mission there, so obviously I'm biased. I remember driving down Canadian highways thinking to myself how EASY it would be, as a trader, to get rich in raccoon furs nowadays. All you would need is a shovel and a highway...
I guess the first (US) American bit of history I think of is the Emancipation Proclamation. I wrote a paper on it, and had a lot of help from my dad - a history buff. My dad let me know that the Emancipation Proclamation wasn't all about good feelings towards slaves, but was also a political move on Lincoln's part, as well. It was a move to weaken the South, who depended on slave labor. I'm sure there was more to it, as well, but that was one thing he mentioned.
Another? The Revolution. Obvious choice. Tea parties, redcoats, and all the things that made the United States what it is today. It was their first stand against oppression. Taxation without representation. I have to say, the heroes of the time period were inspiring.
So George Washington might not have done that whole "Prayer at Valley Forge" thing, but he was a religious man. Most of them were. They were people of tremendous faith, with strong beliefs, who did their best to form a government that would protect them, and preserve their country. What they did was nothing short of a miracle, and as an American, I can say, I appreciate what they did for us. I have studied their lives, the words they wrote, and the stands they took. They were inspired men, full of great love for their families and their God. These are the men who penned the words, "In God we Trust." To add, I think it's worth noting, I don't believe these were bloodthirsty men. I think the actions they took, they sincerely believed were good, just, and necessary for their lives, safety, and well-being.
My husband and I have lived at our apartment in Provo ever since we got married. One of the first things I noticed, moving in, was our downstairs neighbor had interesting... taste...
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That's right. That's "We the People" from the Constitution, with an awesome gun underneath it, plastered across the back of their truck window. But I'm not sure that the two stickers go well together. (Other than the obvious 2nd Amendment and the NRA, of course.) (Right to bear arms wasn't the founding fathers' idea, either, actually. That was just a given right of the day and age. Not inspired doctrine. Side-note...)
Those founding fathers, who wrote "We the People," had just finished telling King George that governments are supposed to take care of their people, and if the King wasn't going to care about them, they would be forced to form a government that DID. For me, "We the People" is a symbol of one of the greatest "boundary setting" documents ever forged! It was well thought out, it was thorough, and it was rational. It stated that lives are important, all men are created equal. These writers are the same people who declared their "firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence."
One reason I can think of for why my neighbor would have a gun sticker underneath a "We the People" sticker on his truck, then, would be that he's an avid hunter, or could be concerned for protecting his home, and needs an assault rifle to do so, and he's setting that boundary, just like the founding fathers stated! Or, he really could just have a great love of the military, as the other sticker on his truck would suggest. (His wife is a soldier.)
But ultimately, I think I know why he has such a giant gun under those words. I think my neighbor just really likes the good old American value of fighting the crap out of anybody who stands in your way, because you're right! - which I believe is a misinterpretation of the motivation of our original founding fathers.
I want to talk about this attitude. It's rampant, and is, in fact, the key reason for why I can't echo the sentiment, "I'm Proud to Be an American" - because this attitude is the driving force behind that statement, and, unfortunately, the prevailing patriotic attitude at large, in this country. That attitude is the very thing that makes the US so unlikable to the rest of the world. (Correct me if I'm wrong!) I'm tired of Americans assuming that they know what is best for everyone, whatever they think is 100% right, whatever they do can go without consequences, all while being completely oblivious to what is REALLY going on in the rest of the world.
Instead, our government tears itself apart with budget battles, and the headlines on CNN tell us only that Jolie has chickenpox, Prince George has cute Christmas photos, and Taylor Swift is HOW old??? The headlines have quickly forgotten the CIA torture cover-ups. It reeks of corruption of government, so it wasn't popular. We don't like to hear when we're wrong. We don't like to be told that sometimes, maybe we didn't handle that situation right. Or worse, we justify our actions.
So what is right? How do we know? Our founding fathers had their opinions. They used words like "God," "Creator," and "Honor." They believed "right" was defined and determined by God, not by popular consensus or minority complaints. When people treated these, our founding fathers, unfairly, they responded with patience. They appealed, they petitioned (humbly, they noted), they attempted to work with those that opposed them. They didn't jump ship after the first offense. The Declaration of Independence, that started this whole country, had a list of well over 20 abuses and usurpations which occurred prior to their declarative stand. These people tried VERY HARD to work with everyone else, before they "pulled out the big guns," so to speak, and told King George they weren't taking it anymore.
How many abuses do we take, now, before attacking? Heck, sometimes I think we attack before we even know the whole story! We just assume that we're right, and we have the power to make people respect that! I'm not just talking about our government, either. I'm talking about We the People. The police are corrupt! Obama said this, that, or the other! All Muslims are terrorists! That Christian pastor won't marry us! Putin attacked Ukraine because he's evil! Grace is anti-American because she wrote a blog post saying negative things! ETC, ETC!
I'm not saying I'm innocent, either. I can be a product of my society, just as much as the next person is. But I also happened to be raised by a hippie foreigner, and that balances things out, sometimes.
Mum raised us with the familiar phrase, "God Bless the Whole World - No Exceptions," in response to the "God Bless America" bumper stickers. And why shouldn't He? What makes America better? We try not to even say the word "Freedom" around my mum. Land of the Free? Australia is free-er. Fact! The United States isn't even in the top 10. Freedom. We're not even the most Democratic. Democracy. But being in 36th place just doesn't sell bumper stickers, or inspire people to join the army, so...
Did my mother point these things out because she hates America? Well, I can't speak for her, so I honestly don't know, but I don't think so. My mother said something, once, that has stuck with me. She said, "I'm not a hippie because I'm angry. I'm a hippie because I'm hurt."
I don't say these things because I'm inspired by reckless rage and angst, and have no choice but to vent my negative emotions out at humanity via blog posts. I say these things because I sincerely believe that something is wrong, and I hope, maybe vainly, that something might happen for the good, some day, because I said something.
The US is straying away from our roots. And I love those roots! With all my heart! When I think of the founding fathers, I can sincerely say I AM proud (in an awed kind of way) to be an American. But we're not those people, anymore. But I'm going to be optimistic and say that we COULD be. (The first step is to accept you have a problem.)
We may not always be right - and to boldly and loudly declare that we are, in an aggressive show of arms, is not the way to handle uncertain circumstances. If you are tempted to fight, you must first make it a matter of prayer, and seek an answer in your heart. You must be certain that this is a battle God wants you to fight, or He will not support you in it - and yes, it's not a free pass to God's assistance just because you're an American, or just because you're you. To act as if it is is to risk fighting on a battlefield you should not even be on. In drawing others onto that battlefield, you assume some responsibility for their actions there - as a mother who indoctrinates her children into her life of poverty and addiction holds some responsibility for their lack of insight into the downfalls of such life choices.
We cannot be afraid to involve God in every matter of our lives. The current American attitude of "rightness" attempts, covertly, to replace truth and faith in God with faith in the philosophies and "truths" of men. "It is 'right' to fight, because they hurt us." "It is 'right' to compromise my values, because it's embarrassing otherwise." "It is 'right' to let her do that, because that's freedom..." It's not always easy to see where the line is, but God knows what the "right" choice is, every time.
