The Patriot's Dream

The Patriot’s Dream

It is the early 1600’s, and pilgrims are making a perilous one-way journey to the Promised Land. They already have a vision of what their country is and what it will become, though they will not see America for another two months, praying they will survive the voyage. Small groups of about one hundred prospective settlers are risking their lives together. If their vessel sinks, they will probably all die. If these delusional pilgrims make it to their destination, they plan to build a nation for each other. Most of these brave and faithful travelers seek to craft a brotherhood based on Godly principles; they plan to build a nation based on family. What has become of their legacy? Have later generations upheld these pilgrims’ spirit of hope?

When national loyalty was split, and the federal government was overwhelmed by multiple states acting to secede, we found ourselves in a civil war. In his Gettysburg Address, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln insisted that all Americans be free, regardless of ethnicity. President Lincoln was not willing to compromise on his agenda to free the slaves, despite the strength of opposing arguments. Instead, he zealously determined to restore the union between the states and the federal government; while freeing the slaves. President Lincoln believed that his principles were correct, and as Commander-in-Chief, he directed the military accordingly. As a patriot, President Lincoln led the nation according to his fervent beliefs.

In 1895, to commemorate the Fourth of July, The Congregationalist published a poem written by Katherine Lee Bates. We know this poem today as the song America the Beautiful. Katherine Bates, a patriot, vividly described her view of patriotism in verse four:

Oh beautiful, for patriot’s dream
That sees, beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!

The dream as depicted by Bates, is undimmed by human tears. Natural disasters and deliberate human attacks may injure or kill thousands of our citizens, but our belief in righteousness is not dimmed by human suffering. The patriot has a dream for America, and does not seek to blame America. At night, the patriot revels in the warm gleam of city lights.

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech I Have a Dream. He repeatedly declared that he had one—a dream. He spoke with an intense, conquering voice, and declared his dream as if it had already happened. In another speech I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, Dr. King spoke with warmth and intensity. Dr. King, a patriot, described a scene of himself standing on a mountaintop and looking out over the Promised Land, as if it were already established. This dream was a hopeful vision of our destiny; it looked beyond the years.

When President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural address in 1961, he uttered a phrase of pure patriotism: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” President Kennedy, a patriot, said these words with enthusiasm, and they ring true for every generation.

Today, the government of the United States is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Active participation in the democratic process is not enough; the success of our government depends largely on the loyalty and vision of each individual. The same applies for the fledgling democracy in Iraq; participation in the voting process is not enough. Iraqis must strengthen their loyalty toward their nation. Iraqis must learn what it means to be patriotic.

The success of all free democracies is permanently linked to the level of patriotism among its citizens. Every patriot has a dream based on a philosophy for life. It may be a hopeful aspiration for the future, a flag flown in honor of veterans, or a five dollar handout to the beggar at the stoplight. Several character traits and beliefs are common among the American patriots. Fervent belief in principles is one such trait. Patriots do not forget how pilgrims continually travel here together, risking everything to fulfill the dream. The patriot sees, not just with eyes, but across time. As patriots, we do not dream for ourselves but for our children, grandchildren, and beyond. The patriots’ dream is positive and not defeatist. Complaining about present problems accomplishes nothing; we preserve our future with every vote, and the patriots’ dream. In the future, we live in a good, prosperous, and successful nation.