I am not a patriot.
I am not proud to be an American.
That’s a strange thing to say just after Election Day, isn’t it? It was even stranger when I first wrote it, on 9/11. I do not understand how a person can proud to be a particular nationality that is determined purely by luck of birth.
Are there some countries that are better or more progressive or more prosperous than others? Freer? Absolutely. If you have done something to contribute to that, you should be proud–but is merely being lucky enough to have been born with a certain nationality a reason for pride? Not in my opinion.
It’s not that I think being an American is bad, but how is it better than being Swedish, French, Canadian or a citizen of any other perfectly good country?
Don’t misunderstand me–I don’t think that being American is something to be ashamed of, but neither is being North Korean, Libyan, Russian or Cuban. They are places in the world where people are born, like all places.
I consider myself lucky to have been born here, rather than some of those places, but I do not think I have done anything to deserve this good fortune. At least not before I was born–and maybe not all that much since.
I am grateful to live here, but not proud. Where you are born is an accident. Nothing more, or nothing less.
That being said, I do wonder how the proudly nationalistic Americans among us can be so proud that they were born in the USA while simultaneously being so sure that the children being born in the USA now are destroying the country. The babies being born today or no more or less deserving of citizenship than any of the rest of us were.
We are simply hating the new arrivals in the tradition of our ancestors who hated the Irish, German, Jews and Italians who came before us.
What should you be proud of?
Getting an education. Serving others in some way. Hard work. Raising your children to be caring people. Using your talents. Being kind. Fighting for a more just world. Being a foster parent. Adopting a stray animal.
Me? I am proud of my brother and Mom for working their asses off and becoming nurses. Not only nurses, but the kind of nurses who are able to care for the most critically ill people around. I am proud of all of my friends and relatives who have served in the military and Peace Corps.
I consider myself fortunate to have been born in a place where I was allowed to become who I am. A person who is allowed to express my opinions, even if they might not be particularly popular. In many places, I might not have been allowed those opportunities.
People all over the planet are tearing each other to pieces over what amounts to an accident. Patriotism can be a dangerous thing.
Be proud of who you make yourself, not the place where you just happened to come into being. It’s who you are, not where you are that is the most important thing.