Opinion: Let’s rethink what it means to be a patriot and shoot for the stars
Jul 15, 2020, 5:12 PM | Updated: 5:13 pm
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From “America the Beautiful”: O beautiful for patriot dream / That sees beyond the years.
True patriots are able to see beyond the current crisis because they know what to look for and what to ignore.
Partisan politics and divisive rhetoric don’t distract the true patriot.
Yes, the fog of culture wars and the haze of hate clouds the vision. But the patriot continues to look, learn and observe.
O beautiful for patriot dream
The patriot sees clearly because they’re looking through the lens of history ideals, memories and lessons while gazing toward the future dreams with the confidence that comes from character forged in commitment to principles and a conviction that the cause of freedom is just.
We can’t live up to our principles and ideals unless we are willing continually look to them with clear eyes.
Can we see beyond the years? It is both a backward challenge into the realm of memory but a gaze forward with hope and confidence in the audacious dreams of a better tomorrow.
Are we willing to sharpen our focus and expand our view as we look both to the past and forward to the dreams?
Can we see beyond the years?
Self-government requires patriots to keep it intact.
So while the nation debates mask wearing, school openings, law enforcement, equality under the law, it would be wise to consider the words of French sociologist Émile Durkheim:
“When mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary; when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable.”
While mandates can be made and legislative solutions are often necessary in a complex society like ours, both are insufficient to raise the vision of the American people or to inspire them to act.
A patriot is not designated by political parties.
Patriots are determined by their dreams and their ability to see beyond the years — both backward and forward.
So the ultimate question for each of us continues as it echoes down the corridor of time: O say can you see.
Can we see beyond the years? Can we see our memory and history in proper perspective? Can we see our dreams in the future? And most importantly, what are we willing to do?
Join us for our Moonshot Challenge.
Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 11:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app.
