Feeling Patriotic Today?

In lieu of my typical cynicism, I am allowing myself to feel patriotic, hopeful, and motivated.

This morning for my breakfast reading, I picked up a book that I bought for Triple S last spring, when his citizenship was coming down the pipeline: The Pocket Patriot. Neither of us have felt like picking it up. Until now.

I liked this on the first page:
"America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed." - C.K. Chesterton

The author goes on to say "Other nations find their identity and cohesion in ethnicity, or geography, or ... cultural tradition. But America was founded on certain ideas - ideas about freedom, about human dignity, and about social responsibility."

That seems true, if you stop to think about it. And although are definitions have freedom were at first too narrow, we have changed. In some ways we have grown worse, instead of better, but I am hopeful that the new patriotism and sense of responsibility sticks; that the feeling of opportunity that an immigrant feels when he sets out for this strange land can be felt again by all of us.

And I hope that the world's sense and definition of globalism expands, to include the even distribution of resources, technology, health care, and education; the use of diplomacy and respect; and an increased custodianship of the environment.

To me, these ideas are a part of being ethical, moral, human. Greed, division, and selfishness are immoral, no matter who they are hiding behind.