Heart on a Sleeve
The City of Fort Walton Beach depends heavily on two major Air Force bases to sustain its economy, and thus, the military rules when it comes to city ordinances and building codes. For example, the Air Force has requested that the city limit all buildings to four stories or less, and the city has complied. Even two story buildings are unusual everywhere except on the beach itself. The first time I took my Girl Scouts on a trip to Tallahassee, I was amazed to discover that the highlight of the trip for most of the girls was the escalator. Very few of the girls had ever seen one.But there are exceptions, when even military displeasure is not sufficient to halt a bad idea. One of our local developers applied for a variance so that he could spend $80,000 and erect a 170-foot flagpole, dedicated to the military, fire fighters and police officers who live and work in our area. In the "I'm more patriotic than you" sweepstakes, this was a clear winner. The City Council wasted no time in approving this request, so that they could vicariously share in the patriotic acclaim.
I simply don't get the need to parade your religion, your patriotism and your contempt for anyone not precisely like you on your cars, houses, clothes, and billboards. I have no urge to jump on a soapbox or grab a mike and inform the world that I and my country are chosen by God to be right about everything.
In earlier posts, I have mentioned that clearly the least regarded sections of the Bible were those in which Jesus was quoted as saying, "do not pray from street corners and public places as the hypocrites do, where all can hear, for they have their reward already; but pray in secret, where your Father, who listens in secret, can hear and reward you." Jesus was very consistent and emphatic on this point, and even had to be whined and wheedled into giving an example of an appropriate prayer, now known as the Lord's Prayer. He issued a lot of caveats then too.
And yet, I don't go anywhere in public where I am not subjected to someone else's prayers, and someone else's version of Christianity. It is not enough for those who choose to go to the religious Baccalaureate service to hear religious sermons and meditations; those who go to the acutal graduation service must also sit and listen to two or three prayers, each one of which ends with a resounding, "in Christ's holy name, we pray." Every civic, scholastic, government and sports event starts the same way, with a prayer, the pledge of allegiance, and the national anthem (which not even the soloists can generally sing).
This obviously impresses a lot of people, who discover common bonds with each other, and congratulate each other on their strength of religion, love of country, and general devoutness. It makes me edgy, and caught in the middle of hypocrisy. How can we preach God's love, when we are disregarding the beliefs, concerns and spirituality of many Christians, and all Muslins, Buddhists, and Jews? To quote Paul Simon, "it sure don't feel like love."
For me, telling someone I am an uber-Christian or an uber-patriot is just a waste of air. Those are words anyone can say, and many do say them simply to pick up easy money and fame.
What is truly meaningful are the lives we lead behind our mask of words, deceptions and often lies. Do we hold to our core values, or merely give them lip service? If I say I believe in compassion, a hand reached out to our most fragile and hurt citizens, but I give nothing of my time, energy or resources to make those hurts go away, then what am I? If I say I believe in a just and free America, then do nothing when justice is miscarried and freedoms are curtailed, then what I am?
All I can do is order my life along my own priorities: my family, my friends, my neighbors who are sick, lonely, hungry, ill-clothed, and cold. People who know me can judge whether or not I have done well in living my values, or if I have done poorly. If I have failed my family, my friends and those in need, then my life is a mockery, and all the loud and proud prayers cannot make it look like anything else. If I have seen our government betray our country's proudest principles, and I ignore it, then I have proven unworthy of the freedoms I have been given, and all the 200-foot flagpoles I can build will not make me a better patriot.
Long ago I told my children that words spoken in a romance were lovely to hear, and they should enjoy each sweet nothing. But they needed to remember that nothing is exactly what they are hearing. If he doesn't call when he says he will, when he shows up late, when she isn't there when he comes to meet her - well, that's all the cue you need. It's not the words, it's the actions that back them up. And when you have the actions that back them up, the words are superfluous (except in romance).
So congratulations on the new flagpole. We will tell the world that we are the most patriotic small town on the coast. Let's just hope they don't notice when we condone torture, unwarranted surveillance, and a disdain for the 1st and 4th Amendments. After all, we don't want the messiness of a free society; only a proud - and loud -one.
posted by Lenore Wilson @ 11:27 PM
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