I must be secluded from the real world. I suppose that can be to my benefit, but I often lose out on things. One of the things that I seem to be missing at school is the increase in people displaying our nation's colors. They're everywhere.
When I first pulled into my neighborhood last night, I saw a flag hanging from a fence bordering the main road. When I got my hair cut today, the stylist had a small twist of red, white, and blue ribbon on her mirror. As I drove around, I was struck by the sheer number of motorists displaying this nation's colors. Yet, I wonder if they really understand the significance of the flag and the sacrifices that have been necessary to protect it.
I'm twenty-one years old. I've never experienced a world war. I've not witnessed another country's attacks on the United States (terrorism, because it was not instigated by any specific country, does not apply here). I've not received a draft notice, experienced material rationing, nor lost a single family member or friend during a war.
Thankfully, the majority of the people in the United States lack these same experiences (I say "thankfully" because these are, of course, undesirable experiences). However, with that lack of experience comes a lack of understanding of the hardship of being a country at war. Sure, we had the Persian Gulf War, but that really wasn't the whole country at war. Nothing really changed at home. If I remember correctly, fewer US citizens died in that conflict than are still missing from the September 11th Tragedy. No, this country hasn't really known war... and I hope it never does again.
I say all this because I wonder if everyone's heart is really in it. Would the stylist that cut my hair today be willing to work in a factory, car pool to work, and conserve materials? Would my neighbor displaying a flag be willing to die to protect this country? Would I be willing to die to protect this country?
