Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The Real America

I have been ranting and raving for years about about the lack of real statesmen in our government these days, and like many of you I listen to the political punsters and get frustrated or angry about the side I am presently against or for whomever they are these days. But today, I watched one of most literate and funny men in the pulic eye these days on a PBS television show and he made a really profound statement - When we rise to sing together our national anthem The Star Spangled Banner politics does not matter.

We usually sing it together either just before a game, or else at the beginning of a concert. If we think about it, the song truly celebrates not the country or the land, but the people of this vast land. From the very beginnings of those small 13 colonies with those rag-a-muffin revolutionaries who despite their difference came together as one nation, right up to today and those who change our world here in the 21st century.

Whether we are Republican, or Democrat we are always first and foremost Americans, together.

When Garrison Keiller said that, I heard it reverberate through my mind and it made me realize that when we all stand, no one single voice stands out because it takes all our voices to sing it together to make us sing those words as one.

Now, granted there are often just that one famous voice who is asked to sing these verses but it becomes so much more, if we sing them together and sometimes it is in way too high a key or sometimes it can also be with tears that we sing those words.

This year, as we raise our voices remember we are drawn together as one nation. Afterall, this is the season to celebrate who we are and what we have as Americans with all the fireworks, as well as in singing our national song. Let those words wash over each in our nation and help us to celebrate our diversity, and fellowship as Americans.

Happy Fouth of July 2009 everyone!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your reflective writing is always moving and thought provoking. Yes I think what you are saying speaks not only about America but also the rest of the world. Every nation is founded by people singing together making the many voices one. If only people can see beyond the politics and realize that we are all human beings after all, moved by the same thing that moves others, pained by the same weapon we all created against one another.

Unknown said...

Thank you for your comment and observations. You are right too! We are all the people together - but we are often divided by words that we've used to say, "I'm right," and that always divides us.