Photography: "Inside the Cathedral"

Inside The Cathedral, Sevilla

Patriots and Perfection

I have never been one to go all out for the 4^th of July. Perhaps it was my childhood fear of fireworks that, let’s be frank, continues to this day. Perhaps it was that my family never placed much of an emphasis on this day, and it fell in with the rest of the summer cookouts that, while pleasant, failed to register as significant. Or perhaps it is that I have never felt extraordinarily patriotic. I am not one to accessorize with American flags or plaster my car with red, white, and blue bumper stickers, and that has always made me feel like less of an American than those who wear their admiration of America quite literally on their sleeve (or lapel, for the politicians among us).

This thought has been with me lately: what is patriotism? I have found it difficult to call myself a patriot because I don’t think this is the greatest nation on earth. My appreciation for this country has always been tempered by the realization that there are other wonderful places on this earth, and that we still have many problems to resolve. I don’t fit in with the group that have staked their claim on the title “patriot”. But just because I’m not wearing rose-colored glasses doesn’t mean I don’t love this country. My love is just more complex and subtle. Like all relationships, it has its ups and its downs, but there is something deep and abiding that keeps me loyal.