I was disturbed by a fellow mindsayer's blog today. Not by the
blogger himself, but rather the ideology he was emitting in his entry, an ideology
that seems - to me - as tainted, but that has grounded it's self in so many
minds.

Let me start by saying, I love my country and feel I was lucky to have been
born here. I find the work of the founding father's inspirational, honorable
and romantic. I feel America,
with its short history, has shown to produce some great minds, inspirational
thinkers and good leaders.

I also feel, Americans are falling from grace and letting past heroes' actions
promote their own large egos without doing anything to become people like them.
Our heads have become swollen by previous century's exemplars without any
action of our own to keep the good name of American. No one sees the need to
continue to work at being good anymore, seemingly thinking they are heirs to an
established throne that have no need to work at keeping the fortune that has
been passed down.

This is folly and this is why America
will fail, just as Ben Franklin predicted it would.

Patriotism isn't just "I love America!” it is an ideal that takes
hard work, visionary ideas, charity, humanism and compassion. Patriotism isn't
my dad can beat up your dad; it's your dad doing his best to help the other
guy's dad up.

Patriotism is not telling the Brit's, "Screw you!" or "How's
that feel?" or "You haven't suffered nearly as much as I have."
Patriotism is "Hey, we know how you feel and will do everything in our
power to help you get through this situation." Patriotism is showing what
it means to be an American. Patriotism is an action of compassion. Patriotism
is devotion to a cause. Patriotism is not, and never should be, finger pointing
and cruel mockery.

Let me remind you all, that no matter what country you live in, innocence is
still innocence and compassion should be expressed when it is lost.