True patriotism

There are a lot of common misconceptions it seems on what it means to be a patriot, now keep in mind this is just my opinion, but since I am highly educated educator I hope you will give my opinion some thought.

• Being a patriot does not mean you must have done a combat tour in the military, only 7% of the population currently serve, and of that 7% percent most will never see combat. But I dare you to try and run a war without your supply or mess hall unit; let me know how that works out for you. Also, do not tell me the community volunteers are not serving their country
• Hoisting a flag in your front yard does not make you a patriot. Most people are not even aware of proper flag protocol anyway, but they mean well. The flag is a symbol of something bigger than you not a symbol of you.
• Being anti immigrant does not make you a patriot, especially since this country was built on immigration (listen to what I just said not what you interpreted)
• You do not have to be a diehard Christian to be a patriot, there are many people practicing Christian values who have never step foot in a church in their life: does that make them bad?

There are many people out there practicing what I call “false patriotism”. They will proclaim their love of country to everyone in the bar, but when that person of color who has served their country in uniform (even though you might not know) moves into your neighborhood you throw rocks at their window because you do not like the color of their skin.

There are many other examples I could give, but my point is this: true patriotism means, “love thy neighbor”. It means be a good person, and try to leave the world a better place than you found it. It means that after you are gone, people will still think of you with true love and honor your memory.

Look around you, and find the opportunities to be a patriot close to home and not just in the news.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam