Love of Country as a Unifying Principle

Perhaps once a shared* love of country bound us together, but now I fear** we are fracturing between those who love this country and those who denigrate it and** its founding principles**. *

Photo* by Ken Jones is licensed under CC BY 2.0. This content uses referral links. ** ****** ***

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I love traveling through this country. Road trips on beautiful days allow me to see the landscape of the United States, and they make me exceptionally grateful to be a citizen of this country. 

With all the craziness going on in the world right now, from the pandemic to the polarized election to riots in major cities, I am still grateful to be an American citizen. I am thankful to have served in her armed forces and for the opportunity to grow up and now raise my own children in this land. 

I hope they will appreciate this love of country as much as I do. 

This is a beautiful country. Those who harp on the sins of the past as if they are the only defining characteristic of this great country are missing out on so much. Is there a better place to live than the United States of America? Does any place provide more freedom and greater opportunity? 

I have had various opportunities over the years to see diverse areas of the country, from my time spent in the military to my years working in the Walmart real estate department. It’s always exciting to see new places and how diverse we are as a nation. 

At the same time, despite the political differences that divide us, there is a collective identity and culture that unites us together. Even in our diversity, there are commonalities. I have never been anywhere in the United States where I felt like I was no longer in America. Americanism permeates every aspect of this country, and its culture is present wherever you go. 

What a shame it would be if we allowed ourselves to lose this. We have to find a way to cling onto it.

Perhaps once a shared love of country bound us together, but now I don’t know. I am afraid that we are now fracturing between those who love this country and those who denigrate it, its founding, and its principles, we will lose the common bond that has kept us together. 

I pray that we do not.