Patriotism or Points?

Patriotism is defined as "the feeling of love, devotion and sense of attachment to a homeland" but I've personally always seen it as being more simplistically about service. If you love and are devoted to your homeland, that makes your homeland important to you. Many of your actions, and some of your consideration, are for your homeland. You sacrifice for it. You put it above your own wants and needs.

MLK was a patriot. Lincoln was a patriot. Most of the boys who landed on Normandy were patriots, as well as all the Rosies that worked in the factories back here in the States. It's very easy to honor these people as patriots because many gave the ultimate sacrifice, but I think it's also lazy and simplistic.

What about teachers that get paid horribly, and may very well be risking their lives soon in this pandemic, to make sure that our children are prepared for adulthood? Or cops who are literally risking their lives every day? Protestors that are risking Covid, and tear gas, and beatings by those same cops to get the country to face the racism that suffuses it? Can we honestly say they aren't also all sacrificing for the country? Exhibiting a sense of love and devotion for OUR home and trying to make it better?

Of course they're patriots. Along with soldiers. Along with volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, soup kitchens, and barbers that head downtown to give the homeless free haircuts. Even along with some of us who show up to vote and just grumble online (waves to the camera). I will admit there's a bit of diminishing level of appropriateness depending on some factors *coughs*

Anyways.

I just finished the Hamilton musical, which was very good, and what got me thinking about this was Washington and his walking away from power rather than take a third term. I say "take" rather than "run" because it was his for the taking. This was, I think, one of the most patriotic and awe-inspiring parts of our history. Here was a man that literally turned away from being king in all but name. Who looked at the power being handed to him on a silver platter and said "naw, dawg, that's not what the country needs."

Can most of us say we would do that and be honest? Teacher, cop, soldier, whatever...it's not human nature to leave power lying on the table. Even especially when you want to help and you COULD help by having that power. To instead say "I serve my country better by walking away" is astounding. To HARM one's own interests at the expense of HELPING your country's interest is one of the surest signs I think there is of patriotism.

I think almost ALL politicians are patriots. Which, to be fair, makes just about every partisan wince as they consider the other side. But I do think it's true. Now, I also think they're all self-serving narcissists! But patriotism and narcissism are not mutually exclusive. Consider, for a moment, Mitt Romney. He was essentially the anti-Christ to a large portion of the country eight years ago. Now he's possibly the most well-liked modern Republican in the country by the Left. Anyone who thinks Romney isn't ALSO a self-serving narcissist, though, needs to reevaluate their priors. Obama is too! He's an arrogant, self-righteous, power-hungry man who takes himself far too seriously. Anyways, I'm looking around at my glass house here and putting down the stones now.

My point is you don't get power like they have without some pretty shitty personality-flaws-but-maybe-also-strengths. There's a very high correlation with executive leadership and narcissism. But I think what both of them have also demonstrated is that, at times, they will put the needs of the country above their own. With solemnity, and an awareness of the sacrifice, they will take one for the country. Whether that's ordering drone strikes, firebombings, or voting against your entire party in an impeachment hearing they go beyond their own interests and desires to do what they perceive as right.

So Washington, MLK, Lincoln, soldiers, teachers, police, and protestors. Obama. Romney. Patriots, all of them. Easily. They sacrifice, or have sacrificed, for us. I think we're quick to forget that. As a whole all these different people also DISAGREE about what is best for us. And that's possibly my favorite part of politics - that everyone can have an admirable motivation of making the country a better place, that we all have a common starting place, and we just need to iron out the details.

Unfortunately, what I think gets lost most frequently now, is that we ARE all supposed to have a common starting place. The first rule of patriotism is that you do WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COUNTRY. Not to win an argument over Christmas dinner, or prove that asshole wrong on the internet (even though they are), or to stroke your own ego by getting praise from your chosen echo chamber. The first rule is you remember we're all in this together, even if we don't agree on much of anything. We should all have the same damn goal, it's just the methods we disagree on.

I don't really have much of a point here. But I guess, in closing, I'd just like to say that Washington was pretty awesome and maybe we should start weighing the patriotism of people and their actions. Ask yourself if someone is doing something just for the sake of power or praise rather than for the sake of the country. And maybe we can all hesitate for a second and think about patriotism when we open our own mouths. Is what we're about to do, even in the tiniest way, motivated by a desire to make our country better? Or do you just want to score some points?