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Thoughts on the upcoming holidays

Is our patriotism merely a momentary thing brought out of the closet, dusted off, rushed to display and then gone in a flash like so many fireworks?

In “Democracy in America,” his work of nearly 200 years ago,  Alexis de Tocqueville critiqued institutions and culture of Americans and a relatively new American patriotism. This writer noticed a distinct difference between that which was exhibited in Europe and how such was practiced in America.

A question that might be asked is, “Why does this matter to us?” If one were to only consider the short span of our own mortal existence the answer could be, “It doesn’t matter to us.” But if pondering more we might see how the fertile ground of religious and civil liberty that Tocqueville experienced was nothing short of miraculous.

Of his own French experience in patriotism de Tocqueville wrote,

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There is one sort of patriotic attachment which principally arises from that instinctive, disinterested, and indefinable feeling which connects the affections of man with his birthplace. This natural fondness is united with a taste for ancient customs and a reverence for traditions of the past; those who cherish it love their country as they love the mansion of their fathers.

They love the tranquility that it affords them; they cling to the peaceful habits that they have contracted within its bosom; they are attached to the reminiscences that it awakens; and they are even pleased by living there in a state of obedience. This patriotism is sometimes stimulated by religious enthusiasm, and then it is capable of making prodigious efforts. It is in itself a kind of religion: it does not reason, but it acts from the impulse of faith and sentiment. In some nations the monarch is regarded as a personification of the country; and, the fervor of patriotism being converted into the fervor of loyalty, they take a sympathetic pride in his conquests, and glory in his power.

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Power was a time under the ancient monarchy when the French felt a sort of satisfaction in the sense of their dependence upon the arbitrary will of their king; and they were wont to say with pride: "We live under the most powerful king in the world.

After making this observation of institutionalized patriotism Tocqueville wrote this indictment of that attitude:

But, like all instinctive passions, this kind of patriotism incites great transient exertions, but no continuity of effort. It may save the state in critical circumstances, but often allows it to decline in times of peace. While the manners of a people are simple and its faith unshaken, while society is steadily based upon traditional institutions whose legitimacy has never been contested, this instinctive patriotism is wont to endure.

 In American patriotism, however, there is something different:

But there is another species of attachment to country which is more rational than the one I have been describing. It is perhaps less generous and less ardent, but it is more fruitful and more lasting: it springs from knowledge; it is nurtured by the laws, it grows by the exercise of civil rights; and, in the end, it is confounded with the personal interests of the citizen. A man comprehends the influence which the well-being of his country has upon his own; he is aware that the laws permit him to contribute to that prosperity, and he labors to promote it, first because it benefits him, and secondly because it is in part his own work.

So another question must be asked. Was the American patriotism observed in the 1830’s something special by virtue of its people, or was something else involved? I believe something else was at work. 

The old world of two centuries ago would not have allowed and could not have supported the freedom of thought and personal practice as it was surging in America. Even in this country under a new form of government, later described by President Abraham Lincoln as “of the people, by the people, and for the people” the light of this new liberty was nearly extinguished at times.

Traditions may be vain or they may be uplifting. It could be argued the most powerful remind us of the sacrifice of our ancestors and inspire our efforts to rightly honor their gifts to us. Traditions influence the way we live and the way we look at life.

They may be practices or beliefs handed down from generation to generation, or new patterns we establish in our own families or communities. Some will be based on personal religious and commonly held moral principles, others may evolve from our cultural or national heritage.

Our typical tradition of patriotism such as parades, fireworks, concerts and other holiday events are enjoyable, serve as reminders of how we arrived at where we are nationally and offer needed diversions from the cares of daily life. These traditions are unique to our local or national lifestyle and have some measure of importance.

But for those traditions to be rightfully endure should they not also foster an increase of understanding and devotion to that which will help our republic endure with our founding principles intact? Is our patriotism merely a momentary or transient thing brought out of the closet, dusted off, rushed to display and then gone in a flash, as so many fireworks?  Out of this concern, Adlai Stevenson suggested that "Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

The human foibles we struggle with today are not new. Again President Abraham Lincoln once observed:

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us. We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken succession, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of preserving and redeeming grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

Alexis de Tocqueville found a unique spirit in Americans. A yearning to breath free and not look to others to solve all our problems. This permeated our schools, our local town councils and the halls of Congress. To make ones own choices and to be responsible for those choices, to help others because one chooses to do so, to participate out of free will and to humbly acknowledge God as the author of our Liberty. It was revolutionary living, and he knew it!

As we consider our upcoming celebrations may we carefully guard our heritage of Liberty, cautiously guide our families and communities with humility, and consistently demonstrate gratitude to God for the blessings we enjoy.

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