Dear Kiantha: Patriotism leaves room for evolution
Dear Kiantha,
My family has a long history of supporting a particular political party. For over 150 years, our family’s political affiliation has been closely aligned with our forefathers values and allegiance to our country. Recently, I have found myself feeling somewhat disconnected from several of the beliefs shared by my family’s preferred party.
I love this country and want to be a part of making it the best country it can be. Does that mean I need to stay committed to my political party even when its stances on certain issues are ones that I do not agree or align with?
Dear Exactly What We Need in This Country,
Your question tells me that you are very patriotic and have a sincere desire to do what is right for our country in its entirety. You are exactly the kind of human needed to help shift our country into its rightful place as a unified and strong world leader.
Bravery and patriotism to my way of thinking are synonymous. Bravery requires us to use our voice and actions to influence the betterment of our society and country for all who reside in it. It is this bravery carried in the hearts of the men and women, veterans and prisoners of war who have committed their lives to protecting our liberties as a country. This bravery can also be seen in the words of your column submission.
Having the courage to allow yourself to evaluate and critically assess your political affiliations is one of the bravest things we can do as humans. This level of critical review of our ideologies, beliefs and behaviors is a vital ingredient and necessary step of patriotism. Our commitment to the United States of America should rely heavily on our ability to allow space for new and expanded visions of thought and the compassionate ability to pivot our beliefs based on our understanding of the needs of the people, all people.
There is no perfect political party, which means there should always be room to grow and evolve in your thinking and alignment no matter what your political affiliation is. It is that evolution that shapes our collective future. Remember, patriotism is not defined by our commitment to a political party. To the contrary, it is instead defined by our commitment to the well-being of the humans who inhabit this country.
Kiantha
Link: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/mar/11/dear-kiantha/
