“Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it. While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it.” ~Billings Learned Hand
As a child, I had a natural zealous love for the country in
which I lived. In patriotic assemblies, my voice rang out above others’,
gleefully touting, “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m
free,” and I was filled with disappointment when I missed pledging allegiance
to our extraordinary flag because I was tardy. As I grew, I gained a great
appreciation and affinity for the pilgrims, “whose stern, impassioned stress”
drove them to this country in search of a place free of religious intolerance.
And my favorite retort to a bully’s objection to my involvement in anything
was, “It’s a free country!” I was Uncle Sam’s favorite baby niece. I would’ve
given everything I had to the country that I loved—of course what I had was
probably no more than a few nickels, a Jolly Rancher, and a box of Crayons—all
of which would be useless to Uncle Sam.
Then one day, something happened. My red-white-and-blue
stage was rained on, left muddied with little trails of… well… what was it? Imperfection. That’s what it was.
I was fourteen years old when the metal rained down on the
streets of New York on September 11, 2001. I guess I should’ve known by then
that my America, the one that I had built up in my head, was not Utopia. But it
was in response to this event, standing on a stage hand-in-hand with a row of
my class-mates, singing about hope for a world without hate, that I awakened to
this truth: America is not perfect.
Moving on to college brought a great deal of information
that solidified this fact for me. I was pained to learn that, among other
things, George Washington never cut down a cherry tree with his little hatchet;
Columbus—looking for riches, not a new land—believed to his death that he had
merely found a new route to the West Indies; Benjamin Franklin was an adulterous
and prideful man; and the Constitution was opposed for months before the
Founding Fathers finally agreed to signing it—some still not convinced. Trivial
as these things may be, the loss of them to my patriotic ideology was almost
devastating. I began to wonder how I could have faith in something that not
even those who were upheld as the “best of men” actually lived or totally
believed in.
My answer came from a spiritual source. However, that being
said, before I explain this answer, I want to throw in a little disclaimer:
this blog is not about religion. This blog is about freedom. It is about
learning. It is about love and faith and a desire to create a better world.
Along with these things always comes what is rooted most deeply in our hearts,
and most often that deepness includes a Great Creator to whom we attribute all
of our strengths. Still, I know that this is not the case for everyone. So,
while I may refer to spiritual things to convey my thoughts, it is only because
that is what I know, what I see. Please take my ideas for what they are worth,
and then find ways to make them your own.
Now then, are you ready for my spiritual epiphany? It was
said by someone very dear to me while addressing a congregation at church. He said,
“The gospel is true. And it doesn’t matter how many people don’t believe in it,
how many people choose to ignore it or to turn away from it or not to live it,
or how many people simply do not understand it. It is still true.”
Remember, this blog is not about religion. Still this
thought is powerful to me. There are some things that remain “true” despite the
opposition that is put up against them. There are mountains that rise up out of
the depths of a hurricane, even when everything else is swept away in its path.
America is like this for me. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Does it have flaws
and failings and unbelievers? Of course. But it remains “true”—a free land,
where we can make our own pathways, and become anything we aspire to be.
I’m guessing most of you already know this. So what is this
all about?
Well, the thing is, as much as I believe in the United
States of America, I realize that I do not know it—not like I should. It is
like falling head-over-heels for someone, marrying him the next day, and waking
up next to a man that you now realize is a stranger. With all of the turmoil
that threatens to destroy our beautiful, free nation, we cannot afford such
ignorance. We need to KNOW our country. We need to be able to look into the
face of it and know why we are proud to be tied to it. Because you can’t fight
for something that you don’t understand.
So this is my journey: I am going to strive to become an
expert on America and just what it is that makes it a place men give up their
lives to protect. I’m going to start at the beginning, and continue until there
is nothing left (which I hope never happens). And I’m going to share everything
I learn with you—in my own words, of course. Some of the things that I learn
may seem very unimpressive, some infantile. You may be shocked at the things
that I don’t know. Tell me. Build upon my knowledge. I’m not too prideful to
invest in more knowledge! I want this to be a place for everyone to learn
together. My only requirement is that we be kind. This is not about
politics—not in the divisive sense that we know today. I wish for this to be
only a place for learning about our country and what it means to live in a
place where freedom prevails. By doing this, I hope to create an army (no
matter how small) of people who, instead of being shackled with ignorance, are
armed with knowledge, ready to protect this beautiful gift of agency.
