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PATRIOTISM: |
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At different points in time of the histroy of our nation emotions and feelings have run high. These emotions have varied largely from extreme anti-governement sentiment to unwavering support for one's country. When talking about emotions key words like devotion, love, terrorism, and patriotism seem to be popular buzz words. These words gained new meaning to the general public on September 11, 2001. As planes flown by terrorists flew into landmark buildings, our country was thrown into turmoil. Emotions ran high to say the least. Patriotism began to surface in places it has not been in quite some time. People went to their closets, dusted off the flag that had been packed away, and proudly displayed it wherever they could.
Before September 11 you might be hard pressed to find a flag
in the general public, and now you can't cross a street without
seeing a flag on a car drive by. Along with
the increased support for the country came the need to redefine
what it means to be a patriot. As the dust 
began
to settle the opinions of the masses began to surface. What is
real patriotism? Through my research for this site on patriotism,
I was suprized to find large amounts of information on anti-patriotism
in newspapers and on the internet. One of these views expressed
was that one country's patriot was another country's terrorist.
If one country is involved in doing evil, and because of your
loyalty and love for your country you support this, does this
make you a patriot or a terrorist? What is the difference between
patriotism and terrorism? What
is the best way to be a patriot? These are all questions that
have been brought to the attentions of people in the United States,
and they can only be answered on an individual basis.
For many years the Stars and Stripes
represented the pride of the people in the United States. Since
the attacks, flags have been waving in abundance. What does the
flag mean to us individually? The bond between Old
Glory 
and what it represent
can have incredible meaning for some. In special cases it may
even lead to life changing experiences.(See
McCain's Story and Monday's
Story.) The question that must be asked is, "What
does it mean to me?"
Those of us who live in this great land have the freedom to form our own opinions, and possibly an obligation to do so. Whatever the opinion may be, it is imperative we remember why we have freedoms, and why it is possible that we are able to form our own opinions. We owe much to the patriots throughout our history.
Webster's Dictionary (1984) defines patriotism as "love and loyal or zealous suppport of one's own country".