Newfound Patriotism

Yesterday was the 4th of July, usually a day that only means fireworks and a party for me. Today, moreso than ever before, I had a swelling of patriotism coming up to this day. That was surprising for me, particularly being in an area that never lets you forget about Iraq or Israel. Yet, what these many conversation have done - with people from taxi drivers, to shop-keepers, to those involved in Moroccan politics, is to yes, remind me of the bad America has done, but also, in defending my country against such overly-unflattering portrayals, I remember all the good we have done and all the important values we more often than not stand for.

The irony is, is that when I am in the states, I can't help but recoil when I see an American flag or hear that chillingly-catchy country song "Proud to be an American". I can't help but think about all the bad things Bush has done to threaten a lot of what I hold dear. Whenever I meet a foreigner there talking about how great America is I say "Well, wait a minute - we aren't even close to perfect.." and so on, presenting the picture that all of the good things America and Americans dois somehow mitigated by the bad. Yet, here, when I hear some critical of America, my reaction is the opposition - that, yes, we have done some bad things, but we are also a great source for good and that all the good certainly does offset certain, shall we say, lapses in judgment.

For those who have seen the movie Goodbye Lenin, it's been a similar experience to that of the main character, who when looking back at pre-fall of the Berlin wall Germany, appreciate some of the things he had neglected. That is one of the fantastic things about traveling - you get to go outside of the context you know, seeing the things you thought you knew from a new perspective. I'm reminded of a T.S.Elliot quote: " We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. "

So, for the 4th a threw a cloyingly patriotic 4th of July party, including fireworks (the powerpoint variety) and good old Moroccan-made hamburgers and hot dogs. Yet, during the party, I did try to remind people (about 3/4 foreigners) that the reason we celebrate 4th of July in the States - well at least the reason why I did it this year and why I will continue into the future - is to celebrate the great values and ideals the nation was founded on, and our responsibility to live up to these ideals in our actions within and outside of our nation's borders every day.

And, yes, I did play "Proud to be American"... that song sure is catchy...