American symbols
Why they are more important than ever
Introduction
The “United” States of America is more divided than ever. The power of the values baked into our democracy is being disturbed day by day. Because of such polarizing beliefs and the two-party system that pins Americans against each other we have grown so far from our core values of what our country is trying to achieve. We have ceremonies for new citizens to pledge their allegiance to the United States and to refuse other countries. Yet we have a dark history of slaving many of those same people. Yet we can still find common ground if we just try to see each other eye to eye. We absolutely must prepare to lower the intensity of our own beliefs and be receptive to understanding others. If we as Americans who swore to fight for the health of the country cant do that, that is where democracy dies. We need to learn to understand the opposing population’s beliefs and come together to push for that common goal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
American Traditions
America upholds many traditions and ceremonies throughout our history to keep all of us in check as to how we became this great nation. The incorporation of thousands of diverse community searching one goal that goal being to prosper. We hold ceremonies for new citizens to take an oath to uphold all of our values as a nation. These are called citizenship ceremonies this ceremony is a new start for so many every single year.Yet so many Americans who have lived here their entire lives take these new citizens as foreigners to be discrimnated against when in reality we are all here for the same purpose.
Symbols of division
Symbols of hate are common in our country as well as our ceremonies of unity under a nation like the citizenship ceremonies. One that comes to mind is the flag of the confederacy. This flag is usually associated with white supremacists or kkk members because you’ll see them waving them at all of their rallies. Even though the flag they use is incorrect and not what the confederacy used during the civil war it is still waved around to unify these hate groups. These symbols are an example of things tearing apart the country the flag itself was from the civil war where Americans killed Americans cause they disagreed and couldn’t understand each other. The fact that this symbol is glorified and so widely acknowledged by these hate groups is mortifying but further proves the point of how important symbols and ideals truly are.
The importance of it all
The importance of all of those phrases, ceremonies and symbols is even more pertinent in these trying times as a nation. With a president denying democracy and our election with far-right and far-left groups becoming the face of our country, it is a scary time to be alive. We have to all see each other again and become the United States of America instead of this dystopian authoritarian future that so many of us are scared to witness myself included.
Conclusion
As Americans, it is our American Creed to maintain the health of this country. We absolutely must go to our roots and thoroughly explore our past so we can learn to live in harmony. Every word symbol and ritual is important to uphold the infrastructure of our nation. Be it oaths to the nation as we become citizens to create better lives for our families. Or to sift through the hate of our past and learn how to be stronger and smarter from it. We need to learn from our mistakes and fully digest the trauma together as one. Every symbol from eagles to big green ladies reinforces our need for communion to achieve the happiness we all deserve. All we have is each other and our values and if we fail at keeping our relationships strong and our values intact we are sure to get a rude awakening to how cruel the world can be.