“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
And to the republic for which it stands,
One nation under God, indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.”
~The Pledge of Allegiance
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light …
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
~ The National Anthem
O, what a
beauty to see citizens stand tall, and with the right hand place on their hearts
or on the sides, heads raise high and gazing as the Flag is gradually being lifted
up in the midst of the National Anthem and all the spectators have to
respectfully participate in the just concluded Rio 2016 Olympic! Even Jamaican
star athlete, Mr. Usain Bolt one occasion has had to stop a live interview
being watched on the television to pay homage to the American Flag and was
highly praised by all, not just Americans. To honor the American Flag has been
an ancient culture following the emergence of the United States of America
following the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Citizens
ideally takes pride in their nationality and Americans take exceptional pride
in the “Pledge of Allegiance” and the “National Anthem” under the umbrella of
the Flag because of the optimism they represents in terms of nationalism,
patriotism and humanity. And in addition the commonality, unity and commitment
among the citizenry to the perpetuation of the most ideal and conducive environment
for mankind in which the unalienable right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness are uphold both in words and actions! The tradition whenever the flag
is on display and either the “Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem is in
progress is for the people to show their reverence by standing and the right
hand over their heart.
However,
deviation from this traditional posture have been used to express sentiments by
citizens to protest trends that are believed to be inimical to the pride we
share in the ‘pledge” and the “National Anthem.” Whether accepted or otherwise,
exploring the glory of the American Flag in context of its idealism as
enshrined in the “Pledge” and “Anthem” and the pragmatism of our time is
necessary to help everyone appreciate the necessity of moving forward as a
people and as a nation under God. How we show reverence to the Flag therefore
may not be so much as the physical posture as to our relationship and attitude
toward one another
Idealism
The
symbolism of the United States of America Flag as expressed under the Pledge of
Allegiance and the National Anthem are actually the basis for the glorious
adoration that citizens and those who share in the “America Dream” showers on
it. When we profess the Pledge and or sing the Anthem, the Flag becomes
transformed from mere clothes with colors of Red, White and Blue into the
custodian and manifestation of the bond of freedom, liberty and human rights
and most especially under God! The flag with her sacred messages tell the world
that in America, everyone, everybody irrespective of color, race, religion and
lifestyle are equal before God and man!
This is
in fact one of the greatest doctrine in this country that drives millions of
immigrants to the country in search of freedom, liberty, fundamental human
rights, equality and opportunity to live a better life.
The flag
becomes sacred or hallowed whenever it becomes the tool or instrument to
perpetuate the doctrine of the Declaration
of Independence, especially the line that read,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
That all men are created equal,
That they are endowed by their Creator with
Certain unalienable Rights that among these are
Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.”
Freedom
Freedom
is not just from political oppression alone, but as enumerated in the
declaration of independence in a way that guaranteed the pursuit of happiness,
exercising self-determinations, to marry, raise family and see your progeny
grow to their full potential and without inhibition from any one.
Liberty
Liberty
to live and let’s live, in peace and expression of humanity in any way possible!
The statue of Liberty is an emblem of the sacrifices that humanity made in
order to free those that are unjustly oppressed. We are at liberty to serve our
God and this God is not limited to Christianity alone! Native Americans,
Muslim, Hindu, African-American traditional way of worshiping and so many other
kinds of religions are welcome in the country.
Human
rights
We
are free, and have the fundamental human right to equal opportunities without
regards to race or other forms of discrimination. This right extends even to
the desire to vote and be voted for, practice your religion and express
yourselves without the fear of being oppressed and in extreme situation killed
for what you believe, stand for or fighting for!
Whenever
the Anthem is sang Oh, say can you see…
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust” we take the liberty to fill
our hearts, minds and consciousness with the glorious manifestation of a united
fight against oppression and the triumphant exclamation of good over evil.
These sentiments are what make the Flag sacred to every American.
One of
the most glaring idealism that the Flag has orchestrate in our imagination can
be sum up in the prophetic and rhetorical speech of Blessed Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., “I have a Dream” delivered during the 1963 March in Washington. Standing
before the image of the Flag, this is what the pledge of Allegiance and the
Anthem ideally hope to achieve and in our contemporary existence we must thrive
towards keeping the dream of a perfect union under God alive, otherwise our
adoration to the Flag is in reality meaningless.
I have
taken the liberty to share some quotes from the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech
by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to further refresh our heart and mind and keep
us unswervingly committed to justice, liberty and freedom, love, hope and faith
in the goodness of God and people of faith.
Excerpt:
“I Have a Dream” Speech
I
say to you today, my friends so even though we face the difficulties of today
and tomorrow
I
still have a dream.
It
is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I
have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed
:
“We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I
have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves
and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the
table of brotherhood.
I
have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering
with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be
transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little
children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream
today.
I
have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its
governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and
“nullification”, one day right there in
Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with
little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.
I
have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and
mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the
crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
Pragmatism
The realities
of our era are to a greater extent and rightly so, far remove from the idealism
of the sentiments and dogma behind the American Flag and therefore the “Pledge
of Allegiance” and the “National Anthem.” This must not be mistaken to mean there
had been no progress made, but rather as a means to make the “Union” better
than we met it in every successive generation.
The
idealism which the American Flag has come to represent, with due respect, does
not exclude its fallibility, as ours like any other typical human institution is
flaw with countless oxymoron.
If the “Flag”
represents freedom, liberty and human right and with the complete recognition
of the almighty God, how come in this same country there was a time when
slavery, lynching and the indiscriminate and wanton killings of minorities
especially African-Americans was institutionalized, accepted by some of us who
also profess to know God and even practice Christianity?
In our
contemporary society there are still lingering concerns about disenfranchisement
and the lack of universal voting rights for all Americans, especially people of
color?
Additionally,
this great country America is a microcosm of the world or a conglomeration of
humanity by virtue of her origin, which is nothing short of immigration and mankind
quest for a better life. We are all immigrants one way or the other with the
exclusion of the Native Americans at least before the coming of Europeans, who
were welcomed and unfortunately usurp the generosity of the Natives and
reciprocate with vehement vengeance that nearly extinct their race.
Irrespective of the rhetoric surrounding immigration and immigrants, the
fundamentalism that drives humanity is essentially that of survival and not
pleasure!
The Flag
represents the “Union” called the United States of America and her people
Americans are supposed to be a reflection of its idealism by showcasing to the
world and humanity the best life can offer in terms of freedom, justice and
human right, and the pursuit of happiness. However and most unfortunately there
are some undesirable elements that rejected these idealism and consequently
some of the disadvantaged have to fight against their mediocrity and melancholic
inclinations and the inimical and inhumane doctrine of racism, denigration and the
pathetic denunciation of the unalienable right of vulnerable citizens or
immigrants that are in the country in search of better life.
It is an indisputable
fact that the justice system either by commission or omission have discriminated
against minorities. The prison system is more welcoming to the average
young-adult persons of color than their home, simply because the system
defaults to “you are guilty until proven innocent for people of color, contrary
to the universal doctrine of innocent until found guilty. The consequences of
this nefarious application of partiality are evident in the stereotypes and the
burden of prove that a typical person of color must carry on a daily basis
while living in America.
It is
this injustices and unevenness that unfortunately has transformed some “undesirable”
elements in the police and criminal system to see and treat people of color
first as guilty until proven innocent and in extreme cases waste their lives
with or without justifications. Many have died in the hands of the police that
was supposed to protect them, while others have to languish in the prison
serving a term for a crime they did not commit and in other cases, some have
died in the same prison that was supposed to train them to become a better
person! The stigma they bore if at all they make it out of the prison system is
like an eternal seal of condemnation for the rest of their life!
On
average, a person of color will rather jump into the sea, risking death than
confront the police personnel.
This systemic
stereotypes and latent modernized system of abuse of fundamental human right
for the people of color was instrumental to the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement
which hope to shade light on the plight of people of color and the way they are
perceived by the police.
The
American Flag represents ALL LIVES MATTER, and in order for this to become a
reality, our attitude toward one another must change in a fashion that enhances
the fundamentalism of the Flag!
How Do We Honor The Flag?
When Mr.
Colin Kaepernick, a bi-racial American and an internationally recognized
athlete who play for the San Francisco 49ers National Football League team
recently refused to maintain the traditional posture during the singing of the
National Anthem, many were shocked and as is always typical a simple gesture intended
to draw attention to a common sense debate turns into bitter rhetoric, focusing
on the individual rather than trying to understand the context for his action.
This same Mr. Kaepernick has donated One Million USA Dollars ($1 M) to
organizations that are willing to work toward eradicating the prevailing
partiality in the treatment of people of color by the police force!
To deny
the obvious that people of color and other minorities have been at the
receiving end of the law is to blatantly refuse to accept the fact that the
idealism of America is nearly in contrast with the prevailing pragmatism and I
do not intend to enumerate any further in this regard either.
Mr. Kaepernick joins a long
history of Black athletes using their platforms to peacefully advance racial
and gender justice issues - like Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the Black
Power salute during the national anthem at the 1968 Olympics and Jackie Robinson writing that he could not salute
the flag as “a Black man in a white world.”
In order to truly honor the
American Flag, by virtue of what it represents, Americans must first and
foremost learn how to honor God! The words “In God We Trust” is so powerful and
promising that, if we truly mean them we can potentially changed the world to
an abode of haven for humanity.
The sacredness of the
American Flag is therefore inconsequential without God, because it is in God
and through God that true freedom, liberty and fundamental human rights are
manifested! The two cardinal laws of love are, Love the Lord your God, and the
second is love your neighbor as yourselves.
Anytime that the Flag is
being raise, let us challenge ourselves by asking “how far have I become custodian of these two cardinal laws?”
Until we can answer yes, our “worship”
of the flag is to say the least mere propaganda and disguise, and not any
better than the symbolism of the Confederate Flag!
It is not enough to stand or sit, to kneel or genuflect before
the Flag and with your right hand placed on your chest if we cannot love one
another or see eye-to-eye with one another
It is not enough to sing before the raised Flag at the top of
your voice and with pride, if you are a racist and supporter of other forms of
unjust discrimination while at the same time keeping silent when people are
unjustly treated and even killed.
It is not enough to pay homage to the Flag, while at the same
time disparage and denigrate humanity, who is created in the image and likeness
of God.
It is not enough to respect the Flag and yet refuse to respect
the right of all Americans and their quest for true freedom, liberty and
pursuit of happiness.
The America “In God We Trust”
The glory of the American
Flag, of which Mr. Kaepernick and his supporter are neither denying nor denigrating,
is manifested through the actualization of the spirit enshrined in the Declaration
of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and in the National Anthem verses
that promote godliness and humanity. The flag is an emblem of freedom, not
oppression, liberty to practice any religion or culture that enhances humanity,
the right to live and in pursuit of happiness, and without discrimination on
the basis of race.
It suffice therefore to
understand that the flag in itself does not see, speak or act, but come alive
through those who practice what it personified. The same is applicable to the
dogmatism of the Confederate Flag, of which many have come to identified it to
oppression, slavery and other forms of inhumanity. And last but not the least
the Nazi Flag, which many immediately identified with the inhumanity of Hitler.
The call to act in the
fashion that the American Flag represents is simply an extension of the call to
holiness toward God and man, a challenge to love without limitations, to be
generous in giving, to share in other people’s burden and to make America a
welcoming place to mankind in the same fashion that the Founding Fathers were
wholeheartedly welcome by the Native Americans.
We are therefore responsible
for keeping the symbolism of the American Flag under the umbrella of “In God We
Trust” alive by pragmatically supporting attributes that will make America
great before man and especially before God!
God bless America.
Ref: The Pledge of Allegiance, The America’s National Anthem,
The Declaration of Independence, “I have a Dream, Address delivered at the
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom August 28, 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.
Podeh2016
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