"The Spirit of '76" by Archibald Willard
"Keep Patriotism Alive"
Jerome Huyler, PhD.
We may begin where it all began. The date was Sept. 12th, 2001. The place was lower Manhattan. Upon the rubble of two fallen towers, three fearless firefighters raised a flag. They could not know they had lit a torch to light the skies and lift the spirit of every county in the country. By week’s end, a wave of patriotism not seen since the end of the Second World War crossed a continent. It raced Westward like a wind-propelled fire on a parched forest floor. Only faster. No commentator could miss or mistake it, as personally unacquainted with the phenomenon as he or she may previously have been. Many told us how hard it was to find words adequate enough to describe the enormity of our sorrow. Few in the media even looked for words to explain the pain-mitigating pride that bravely battled the awful hurt in our hearts. Nearly none of the pundits troubled to ask the question:
Why patriotism?
Why was that the overwhelming response to the devastating events of that terrible day? Deep grief over the terrific loss of life, a blinding rage over the terrorists’ success, even a consuming thirst for vengeance would need no further explanation. We can easily understand the speed with which Americans rallied around their local and national leaders. Who wouldn’t want those in charge to take concerted action to make the streets and the skies safe again and righteously punish the murderers? But the American response went far beyond this. After embracing one another and sobbing bitterly for those who suffered such grievous personal loss, Americans embraced their flag and country. Unexpectedly and at a stroke, every American heart swelled with pride in the mere contemplation of his or her native or adopted land. Why was that? If recent times are any indication, it could hardly have been a conditioned reflex or rehearsed act. Important national symbols have not enjoyed pride of place in the cultural heartland. Not recently. Anemic participation at election day polls and chronically low attendance at national parades or holiday celebrations and remembrances certainly attest to the average American’s customary lack of patriotic spirit. Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and July 4th are routinely set aside more for shopping, than for rejoicing, remembering or counting our country’s blessings. Symbols aside, the nation has not been any more attentive to patriotism’s substance - the living principles for which this republic stands and from which earlier generations gathered their pride. The grandeur of America’s founding era and the significance of her subsequent political and economic achievements are not being proudly passed on to future generations. What American school children have been taking from their teachers and their texts is an abiding sense of America’s past "sins" and present "shortcomings." The greater emphasis has been on this nation’s historic and "callous" disregard for African slaves, native tribes, women, the working classes, sundry "endangered" species, and a "fragile" global "eco-sphere." As for our halls of higher learning, the much-respected philosopher Richard Rorty summed the situation up very well in an essay he candidly called "The Unpatriotic Academy." So why patriotism? And why now?
Clearly, the outpouring of patriotism served a necessary purpose. It helped millions of us to get through the trying times that immediately followed the 9/11 attacks. The pride we could take in the often unheralded acts of everyday heroes, all those who bravely risked their lives in the fearless, honorable performance of their assigned duties, helped to ease the burden we all bore. This was America at work. In part, the spirit of patriotism acted as a shield, a needed psychological defense against adversity and the terrifying fear of widening peril. We were immeasurably comforted by our leaders’ firm resolve to fight back, and "to bring the evil doers to justice or bring justice to the evil doers." It was only fitting for a nation dedicated to liberty and justice for all.
In part, our patriotism enabled us to feel the solace of an aggrieved and innocent victim, for innocent and aggrieved we certainly were. On September 11th of last year, the United States was invaded by naked evil, a hideous corruption of human nature cloaked in a thin, transparent veil of fundamentalist piety. We were buoyed by a united determination to commit all necessary resources to right the wrong that had been done us and make things right again. In the tough task that lies ahead, President Bush promised, "we will not falter, and we will not fail."
But there is more to it than that. In a heart-pounding flash we could see, clear as the day New York City was struck, just how far cultural diversity can carry a country, or the "bombers without borders" it may harbor, shelter and train. Under the circumstances, what could prevent us from seeing what it was we faced, or pronouncing judgment upon it? Who could mistake a culture of barbarism, in which life (even one’s own) means nothing, from one such as our’s? Americans want merely to live and enjoy life. The fruit of a fanatic Islam lined up to die. But though the act of terror was unprecedented, what it represented was nothing new. It is what our greatest historians have taught us to expect from societies, ancient or modern, Eastern or Western, that fall prey to despotic absolutism and breed men who would make others slaves so they may be masters. All Al Qaeda and the Taliban could recite was one more terrible, tired psalm of tyranny. But it enabled us to finally appreciate this nation’s sweet lyric of liberty. In rallying around flag and country we rallied our resolve to protect and preserve the life-style we cherished, but, until that jarring Fall morning, all too casually took for granted. Our patriotism, so symbolized by the millions of flags we proudly hung on our highways, homes, hotel windows and houses of worship, signified, above all, the high regard we have for our extraordinarily rich and prosperous way of life. In a shot, human events conspired to give us all a chance to more fully realize just how precious this democracy of ours, troubled as it may be, actually is. The message we sent was loud. It was clear. And it will echo through the canyons of history. Millions would put their "sit-coms" and "soaps," their box scores and gossip sheets, and all the petty problems of private life, aside (or, as least, on hold). Standing numb and motionless in time, we quietly joined ranks. The legendary unity we experienced in the days following the dastardly sneak attack signified a united people’s resolve to resist any force that would threaten the way of life earlier generations gave so much to guarantee.
The Boston Tea Party (1773) Samuel Adams
The allegiance we loudly and proudly pledged at post-9/11 gatherings of all kinds was to the flag and to the republic for which it stands." The principles for which this Republic has stood has made our enviable way of life possible. In rallying around "Old Glory" we rallied around one another, gathering the strength that comes from a uniform devotion to a common environmental cause: a strong determination to continue breathing the fresh air of freedom. Is that not every American’s simple birthright? More narrowly, what 9/11 taught us is that if we don’t truly feel safe, we cannot really feel free. And the security measures put in place to guard our safety gave many of us a small taste of what it is to lose freedom, if just the ability to go about one’s business without great delay.
Those Americans who went further, those who troubled to recall earlier
episodes in our history when liberty was sorely challenged, had deeper resources
to buoy their emotionally-spent spirits. As it was for the heroes of the Alamo
in the 19th century or the brave lives lost at Pearl Harbor in the 20th,
so tragically, once again, the calvary would not come charging over the hill in
the nick of time. Having lost another battle, there was no doubt we would
ultimately win the war. From Bunker Hill to the Battle of the Bulge, from the
hallowed halls of Montezuma to the sand-tossed shores of Tripoli - or Normandy,
the typical American response to a genuine enemy’s assault has been rock
steady. In patriotically retelling, not our national "myths," as too
many intellectuals cynically depict them, but the real-life tales of an
undeniable history, we could, again, recapture that brave, can-do outlook that
has enabled us to win our wars and preserve our inestimable liberties.
Now, there is another question that begs asking, not why, but for how long.. How long will this spark of patriotism endure? How soon will it be before Americans retire, once more, into the nitty gritty challenges of private life, forgetting what for one stone-cold moment in time seemed so painfully obvious: the need to stay informed and united in defense of all we hold dear?
Sadly, there is every reason to believe that, absent a recurrence of terror, this hearty spirit will wane and wither in the days ahead. Patriotism’s appeal was powerful, but, in the end, it was largely emotional. Understandably, Americans were tremendously moved by what they were feeling, having witnessed all that they had.. The unimaginable death of so many decent souls and the shattering of life for so many "survivors,." the aftermath of two terrible hours’ work, it was more than human nature had ever been meant to bear. And it wasn’t just empathy that stirred us. What we felt was far more personal. For on 9/11 we were all the targets of terrorism. Anyone of us could have been a passenger on one of those airliners or a tourist and early visitor to one of those twin towers, that morning. The traumatizing truth is that that Pentagon wing or Pennsylvania field could have become the final resting place for any of us or any of those we hold most dear.
The problem is that even the strongest emotions fade away. "Time heals all wounds" as we so often remind one another in times of travail, and "Life must go on." It is a natural response, and it has a long history. Thinking ahead to the conclusion of the American Revolution, Jefferson faced the propensity squarely. Sundry acts of oppression committed by a far-off Monarch prompted a strong civic spirit and a great outpouring of patriotic sacrifice. But how long would it last? Jefferson fervently hoped that, during the earliest years of state-building, every principle necessary for the preservation of liberty would be firmly fixed in American law. For, he feared, from "the conclusion of this war" his country "shall be going downhill." Why? Americans would "forget themselves but in the sole faculty of making money." For Jefferson and the thoughtful patriots of ‘76, ordered liberty demanded eternal vigilance.
The lesson came home again, on 9/11. There and then terrorism manifested itself in unmistakable terms. But the peril for all those we lost that day was present years earlier. In the terror attack on a Marine barracks or on the U.S.S. Cole, innocently refueling at a "friendly" Middle Eastern port, or the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, the threat was actually revealed. Only, in America, vigilance had turned to complacence. For most of the time our minds were fixed on Bill and Monica, not bin Laden and a one-eyed Mullah. A general indifference to substantive political issues, a comfortable, if illusory, sense of invulnerability and a disinterest in certain ominous details of geopolitical life prevented us from perceiving, and possibly preventing, the carnage to come. The enemy attack was an atrocity. Our apathy, maybe, made it a tragedy. Contented, complacent and taking the blessings of liberty for granted, we acted as if we were, in George Will’s terms, on "a holiday from history." Year after year, President Clinton and his countrymen had more pressing matters to address. In retrospect and with considerable remorse we may finally conclude that what is really stupid is insisting it is just the economy (or the folly of a flirtatious President) that counts. No, there is no sense in blaming or beating ourselves up over 9/11. But that date does reveal a pattern of unfortunate priorities and blundering strategic choices we as a nation have long pursued.
For the time being, the fear of terrorism is gradually dissipating. The flags are quietly coming down and, more and more, attention turns to the daily routine. The nation has placed a great deal of confidence in its national leadership. President Bush and his entire team have done much to earn that confidence. The irony should not be missed. Since any renewed round of terrorist activity on our shores will stoke the patriotic embers, the more successful we are in tearing the terrorist networks apart and deterring future threats, the quicker will we withdraw into our purely private worlds.
Should we now quietly retire to our bedrooms and boardrooms, burying ourselves in the challenges of daily life? Or should we resist the temptation? How high a price might we eventually have to pay for our national indulgence? How can we be sure there are not other ominous clouds gathering off in the distance or that, "out of nowhere," something else may not come along to darken our days? Signs of trouble abound on many important policy fronts. Our schools are failing, leaving so many of our young behind and unprepared to meet the public and private challenges they will face. It was Jefferson, again, who counseled, "a nation that expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, expects what never was and never will be." Social Security and other public insurance plans face enormous fiscal demands down the road. Problems associated with poverty and welfare dependence prevail around the country. And serious economic repercussions from 9/11 are sending new shock waves through an already-weakening national economy. Will we be able to afford all the guns and all the butter we expect our leaders to procure and provide in the coming years? If we do not saddle up and attend to today’s pressing political questions, we may end up stressing over tomorrow’s mounting crises.
Feelings and passions come and go. It is only the things we thoughtfully examine and hold in our understandings that stay with us. The problems we evade will not dissolve because of our refusal to face them. In modern parlance, public apathy may be likened to a peculiar attention deficiency. More precisely, it can be thought of as a national "appreciation deficit disorder." So focused on the many things we dream of and want, we too often take the things we already have entirely for granted. And we don’t truly appreciate these values until and unless they are threatened or taken from us. But men need not be mistaken for Dr. Pavlov’s dogs. Human nature permits more than a series of immediate, emotional responses to upsetting, emotional stimuli. It is the faculty of human understanding, the great gift of our nature, that enables us to retain, over the span of a lifetime and across many generations, a genuine knowledge of our deepest needs and common wants. There is nothing we need and nothing we should zealously guard more than the liberties we enjoy in this country. They make opportunity, prosperity and success possible for all. The rest, it is true, is up to us.
How can we prevent the precious patriotic spirit from flickering and fading on the back-burner of our busy lives? The answer lies in the conception of patriotism, itself - in the appropriate employment of its symbols and a fuller awareness of its substance. All our thoughts are held in the form of the concepts we learn. And every concept is concretized by a special symbol, i.e., a word, an image or even a familiar melody. Consider some of the symbols that inspire and guide Americans through their waking hours. Take, for example, the entire gospel of belief that a simple image of Christ on the cross conveys to a faithful Christian, or the long history and moral tenets that the Star of David or the Hanukkah Menorah symbolize for a practicing Jew. Similarly, it is the display of our national symbols, such as the flag, the proud American eagle or, unhappily, today, the image of two once-tall towers, that can serve as constant reminder of just how much we have, in this country, and how hard we should work to hold onto it.
Such is the important spiritual function performed by such symbols. But if those symbols are to perform their function, individuals must consciously connect them to all they are intended to represent. Symbol and substance must be intimately linked in our minds. That requires deeper reflection and a fuller understanding. Education is key. It is a work to be done in our homes and in our schools. We must recall for ourselves and impart to future generations precisely what it took to win our liberties and what is required in order to keep them. If we are to confidently enjoy the happy effect, we must be willing to clasp the underlying cause. Americans must learn to conceptualize the requirements of liberty by discovering the leading principles that have produced and sustain it. And in the course of human events, they must resolve to be governed by those basic guideposts. A nation dedicated to the preservation of its freedom can do no less. If the spirit of patriotism is really important, i.e., if the way of life for which it stands is really worth preserving, then it behooves us all to discover precisely what it demands of us (in good times and bad). It means nurturing a strong sense of civic pride and sustaining the attitudes, principles, traditions and institutions that make our way of life possible. For it is only by not taking things for granted, but by conscientiously remembering how much we have and hope to hold onto, that we will confidently be able to pass the blessings of liberty we enjoy to future generations - or preserve them for ourselves. In the fullest meaning of the term, then, let us indeed keep patriotism alive.
©Copyright by Jerome Huyler 2002