These days between Memorial Day and Independence Day are always special for me. It is the beginning of Summer, my most favorite time of year. I spend the long, cold nights of Winter yearning for this season and this special time.These days are special in another way. This time of year brings to my mind the great sacrifices that many men and women have made from the very first days of our Republic - from Lexington and Concord to the very present.
As citizens of this country we need to be reminded that we have received a very special gift. We have been given a free nation, where freedoms and rights have been bestowed upon us to a degree that had never before been seen on the face of this earth. It is our duty, as citizens to not take these gifts lightly, to guard them with great vigilance; and to go about doing our civic duty with pride and reverance.
This is a changing time in our Nation. Our flag and our country used to be regarded with pride and they held a special place in our hearts. We used to believe that America was an exceptional nation; put here by Divine Providence to be a beacon to the rest of the world - to be a shining example - to be the City on the Hill that everyone else could look to as the example to be followed.
Somewhere, somehow, we've fallen into a habit of self-flagellation. We are constantly being bombarded by our own media, the media and governments of other countries, with the idea that somehow the United States IS the problem. We have fallen to self doubt and we stopped believing that this great Nation is the best, last hope for the world.
I believe this habit is a disgrace; and I believe that it is a slap in the face to all those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. It is a dishonor to our men and women in the military today; who put their lives on the line every single day protecting our freedom and way of life. Honor their memories. Honor their service and lives. Honor your country. Do your civic duty and live your life every day, proud to be an American.
73 de Larry W2LJ
Well, I dunno. Maybe our willingness to examine our motives and be self-critical is a sign of strength. Once ancient Roman and Greece lost that ability, they become oppressive and corrupt. I like the fact that we constantly check up on how we are doing as far as filling the mandate of "justice for all."
ReplyDeleteThere's a difference between being self-critical and self-destruction. There's
ReplyDeletealways a need for examination of conscience. But there is a point where if you
feel you've made mistakes in the past; that you just have to suck it up and move
forward, with an honest effort to make things better.
Going overboard to appease past mistakes becomes crippling. Yesterday must be
remembered; but it must also not be allowed to prevent you from making the world
a better place today and tomorrow.