by Steven Walker

Created on: July 03, 2008   Last Updated: February 23, 2011

The Homo sapien relies not on instinct, as the average animal does, but relies on parents to teach them everything they need in order to survive to 21 years of age. A Homo sapien needs constant supervision and instruction until he or she is capable of making decisions on their own. Patriotism as a concept must be taught and explored utilizing history lessons, one-on-one instruction, and is part and parcel of moral instruction. In order to love one's country, one must be taught the history of their country.

Tradition plays a large part of this formula. If you destroy tradition, you destroy the love of an organization or even a country. One who is well-versed, for example, in the history of the United States of America, can learn to appreciate the tenants our country were founded on and how they relate to how we think today. When you study the history of our founders, the Declaration of Independence, and our well-thought-out constitution, one begins to realize the idea of the United States of America is not about one man or one political party.

The idea that men were created by God, and given freedoms that no government could never take away from you, except by force, is present in no other constitution except that of the United States of America. America simply stands for freedom. Our flag does not just represent a physical mass of land, but the idea of freedom. When one person burns the American flag, one is burning our idea of freedom.

This leads me to the title "Blind versus discerning patriotism". One can never be blind to freedom or be discerning about freedom. Only a socialist or communist state can be blind or discerning to freedom. Many years ago when the Catholic Church was almost destroyed by homosexual pedophilia, I was ready to leave the church. I talked it over with a Jewish friend, who sat back and laughed at me. He said, "why allow a few people to destroy a wonderful faith. The Catholic Church is not about people, but about loving the freedom to love God". I went back home and I kept thinking about what he said. A smile crossed my face. The church was as sacred as ever, we just allowed a few bad people to take over the church and try to destroy what it stood for.

All true patriots love the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and the Bill or Rights... and we can never be blind or discerning about those three documents. Only a socialist or communist would want to disrespect those documents and try to take them away from us.

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, a wonderful chance to really try to understand what patriotism is. During our revolution over 200 years ago, only 10% of the population fought for our freedom. Patriots who became soldiers and fought for our freedom, do deserve our ultimate respect and place in history. I served my country as a United States Marine, but it makes me no better than the patriot who did not serve.

Patriotism is not working for a community group or social organization.... Patriotism is teaching your family to never let go of the idea of individual freedoms, because it represents our Constitution and our freedom to pursue happiness, or raise their kids any way we want to raise them, or own five acres of land and have a large vegetable garden, to own a gun for protection from criminals and the state, tell people what is on our minds, freedom of the press, that is what a American patriotism stands for.

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