Selling American patriotism for personal gain
- posted: 04 Mar. 2008
- scrollopinion@byui.edu
Two hundred and thirty-two years ago the United States of America was born in a red brick statehouse on what is now Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The hope, dedication and skill of 56 men who put their lives on the line for a chance at a fair and just society went into the crafting of a declaration of independence from England.
Many consider that document, which was purchased with the blood of more than 25,000 common, everyday people, to be the most efficacious work produced in American history.
The men and women of that era have come to be known as patriots, each of them fearing oppression and tyrannical rule more than the loss of their own lives. This conviction was manifested in an exclamation by the Virginia lawyer Patrick Henry, as he cried, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
Samuel Johnson defined a patriot as, “He whose public conduct is regulated by one single motive, the love of his country.”
By this definition, it would seem that American patriotism is on the road to extinction.
It has become quite difficult to find honest and virtuous people who put others before themselves.
Every day, in corporate offices from the East Coast to the West, rich men and women continue on, not in the pursuit of happiness and the love of country, but in the pursuit of massive amounts of personal wealth and the love of power.
They do whatever it takes to get more of what they want, even if it means leaving more than 30,000 of their fellow countrymen without jobs, savings or college funds for their children, as was the case with Ken Lay amid the Enron scandal of 2001.
The number of criminals committing murder, bank robberies, rape, abuse, assualt and countless other methods of selfish, unpatriotic violence and vice is on the rise.
With more than 1 out of every 100 U.S. adults behind bars, the prisons have never been more crowded then they are now.
Modern-day politicians, very much conceptually removed from the morals and ideals of the founding fathers, do everything they can to add to their own power and prestige, while neglecting the very purpose of their positions, which is to represent the common man and woman.
More time and money are now spent on getting elected than ever before, time and money that could be concentrated on bettering the nation and moving America forward.
Boorish remarks, condescension and bringing out skeletons from an opponent’s closet have become the sure path to victory; good policy and honest intentions have all but disappeared.
However, selfishness and greed are not only found among top-seat executives, criminals, politicians and big-business gurus. They are terrible characteristics that are becoming noticeable in many average citizens as the years go by.
It is important that we remember who the patriots were and what they did so that we can emulate their dedicaton and help to set America on a path to recovery.
Patriots are called patriots because they sacrificed, something that John Adams made clear when he said, “Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it.”
The patriots who brought about the birth of America sowed the seeds of liberty that all of the following generations have long since been reaping.
It would truly be a tragedy if everyone were to leave the tending of the fields of freedom to pursue a life of idolatry, self-interest and greed as so many people seem to be doing.
As college students, we represent the future of America.
We are in our prime and are in the process of educating our minds so that we will be able to take the reins and lead America in whichever direction we choose.
Ultimately, it will be our decision whether or not we continue on in a downward spiral, or rise to unprecedented levels of unity and success.
It is our responsibility to rise to the occasion and to remove the cloak of selfishness and greed that has been pulled over our nation.
If we commit to using the skills and talents that we have learned and inherited throughout our lives to restoring America’s patriotic core, then we, too, can be considered patriots by the many generations to come. 
