Being a Patriot – Sunday, July 05, 1981
As America once again celebrates its nationhood, on this anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, our thoughts return to those early patriots, to those brave men and women who saw past the security of the moment, towards the peace of the future.
Our debt to all of them, and to the many patriots, both known and unknown, who have sacrificed life and the pursuit of happiness during the proud history of America is eternal.
Our gratitude as their beneficiaries must extend beyond the picnics, the barbecues, and the firework displays; it can only be returned in kind: sacrifice for sacrifice, contribution for contribution, our own patriotism in payment for theirs.
Thus, patriotism is not the right of the few but the responsibility of the many. It is a moral imperative for all who call themselves Americans.
To be a modern-day patriot is not so much different now than it was then. True, the world has changed much since 1776. Technology and electronic communications have given us a new appreciation for the contributions and ideologies of many races and nationalities. But being a patriot and friend to our country has never meant that we must be an enemy to the rest of mankind.
Patriotism at its finest is not based on hate or bigotry: indeed, what some called patriotism is no more than unbridled mobocracy.
Rather, love and faith are the building blocks of true patriotism: Love—love for our fellow countrymen, to whom we are bound by common sympathies, needs and aspirations; and Faith—faith in the American ideal of democracy, an ideal which has brought happiness and prosperity to a multitude of contributing peoples and nationalities.
Being a patriot, then, is not merely a momentary thrill as the flag passes by. “I venture to suggest,” observed the late Adlai Stevenson, “that patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”1
Regardless of our race, political preferences, or cultural traditions, we are indebted to the American patriot—and only our own patriotism can serve as repayment.
1 Stevenson, Adlai, “Patriotism”, The Great Quotations Pocket Book New York 1960 p. 717
_________________________________________________________________
July 05, 1981
Broadcast Number 2,707