National Anthem

 

I just saw an Instagram post where a young couple is celebrating their first new home

purchase. The national anthem is playing in the background. And I thought how

beautiful. This young couple is so happy to have financial freedom; a house; a car or

two; work; education of some kind; and eventually children—or not. Things that have

been very rare around the world. And not to mention internet, bars, clubs, dispensaries.

And things we take for granted like due process, freedom to disagree with the

government; freedom of speech; freedom of religion; freedom to protest—things that

lead to our music and movies and television and schooling. It seems—in our

adolescent rebellion or our hunger for more—we have forgotten what America once

stood for? What the flag once meant? What we all can have in America.

America was a free country. The American revolution spawned revolutions around the

world; liberty around the world. And we have been deconstructing it or a hundred years.

Rebelling against something. But not America. We might now think America is the

problem. But rebelling against America is like being an adolescent yelling at your

parents that you hate them and then asking them what’s for dinner.

America is something that is new in the world. And they are the first superpower to not

be an imperialistic regime in the world. In fact, American armies have tried to liberate

many people who were under horrible regimes around the world with no hope and no

help. But some have tried to make America look like the bad guy. And have been

cutting the legs out from under liberty and prosperity here—and around the world. They

are very good at it. But I wonder what their real agenda is.

When I hear the national anthem; or see the American flag, this is what I see—and I

had it very hard—and what I see tragically disappearing.