Maybe it's the optimist in me, but when times are tough I try not to dwell too much on the negatives. There are so many ways to change your thinking and there are so many positives to look at in life that it's just a waste to think in ways that are depreciating to your, and those around you's, happiness.
This more optimistic thinking would really help to improve the sense of togetherness that we all seem to be lacking nowadays. If one only looks at our inherent differences, he or she might start to think that we're all irreparably different and this will only continue to cause issues. Instead, in my opinion, one should look positively at what we all share.
No matter which candidate you supported, what your religious beliefs are, born here or not, male or female, no matter who you are, if you live here in America we ALL have one thing in common- we are Americans. We have infinite types of individual differences between us from eye color to our tastes in food, but one thing that unites us all is the fact that we share this country of residence, this identity.
In my opinion, this is a fact that we should all celebrate as perhaps our only common identity, one we can all understand and appreciate together.
Yet as time goes on, more and more people are treating this identity as virtually meaningless.
People are burning the American flag, the symbol for the country of America. This country stands for freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If you do not believe that these principles are being enforced and executed properly then that is a different story, but burning the embodiment of these rights is not making any statement other than disrespect towards their integrity.
America, the country founded on these undisputed good ideals, is not the issue. If how the leaders are interpreting this mission is the problem, then engage yourself in the political system or protest the ones who control it. Showing violence and disregard towards a symbol of freedom and happiness is completely counter-intuitive to your goals.
But believe it or not, I digress.
I did want to address flag burning in this article because that is a part of what I'm about to talk about. However, there is another, perhaps more dangerous threat to our unity that is being exercised.
Hampshire College in Massachusetts has recently removed its American flag from their campus's flagpole.
Due to the violence going on across the country following the election results, the college lowered its flag to half mast in respect and memory of those who are being hurt. Right before Veterans Day, when the campus was going to raise it again in honor of those who have defended these ideas of life and freedom embodied in the flag, the flag was found, burnt.
In response to this act, the college did not immediately raise another flag to show their dedication to the ideals of the country, or to reinforce the shared identity of all of its students. The campus instead decided not to fly another flag for the time being.
A quote from a statement from the President of the college said, "After some preliminary consultation with campus constituents (much more is needed), we decided on Friday that we will not fly the U.S. flag or any other flags on our college flagpole for the time being. We hope this will enable us in the near term to instead focus our efforts on addressing racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and behaviors."
To me, this makes it seem like they are grouping the ideals of the aforelisted communities- their unique racial identities, sexual identities, religious identities, etc.- as different foreign to the American ideals. Instead of focusing on the American identity, they will instead focus on these other individual and different identities. In this, they are undercutting other serious threats to mutual happiness; togetherness and solidarity and instead spotlighting what makes us all different.
The American identity is the umbrella category. We are all living in America and even regardless of one's defining citizenship, this is a commonality. We all share this one similarity, our residency in a country based upon good ideals, and we are beginning to ignore this. We are starting to focus more on individual differences.
What we should be focusing on are our similarities. What we have in common, as humans. We should have pride in America, and pride in what the country means and stands for. This country being our residency is perhaps the only thing we all have in common... let's celebrate it rather than forget it.
Do not confuse the flag, a symbol for good and moral principles, with the threats you feel to these principles. If the real issues are the leaders of this country improperly exercising their power and poorly interpreting these good ideals, then look to make changes there instead.
But shifting the focus away from our commonalities to our differences seems dangerous. Showing disrespect and disregard by burning or removing this symbol of shared identity, in my opinion, will only further the divide and hatred already so present in this country.
