When our Founding Fathers gathered together for the Constitutional Convention to write our founding documents, they didn’t all agree. They fought. They argued. They debated…and they listened. After months of discussing, debating, and working together, they created something beautiful, something bigger than themselves. They created a system that still stands more than 230 years later.
No one gets to have a monopoly on patriotism.
Patriotism isn’t just about a mark on your ballot or putting up a flag in your yard. It isn’t about fiery political speeches or pushing out those that vote differently than you did. Patriotism is about working together on behalf of the American people, not in spite of our differences but because of them. It is about creating opportunities for everyday Americans to talk about what impacts them: their concerns in their neighborhood, at their kid’s schools, their hopes and dreams for a better future for themselves and their families. It’s about taking that passion, those debates, and arguments, and really listening. That is patriotism.
Our democracy and the constitution it is based on would not exist if our Founding Fathers didn’t take the time to listen and learn from those they disagreed with. Our Founding Fathers understood that a democracy called for a diversity of opinions, of Representatives that didn’t all agree with each other and instead worked for the betterment of the people they represented. It isn’t just a diversity of opinions that is causing polarization in our society, it is a lack of listening.
87% of Americans are sick and tired of how divided we are, of turning on the TV and seeing the other half of the country as our enemy. Americans are sick and tired of letting politicians, cable news, and social media divide us against each other. Americans are sick and tired of watching a government that they feel is more invested in fighting amongst itself than in problem-solving, and watching that fighting and anger trickle down into their neighborhoods and family dinner tables.
At this time when it can feel like our democracy is failing and our friendships are fracturing we are faced with a crisis of patriotism. But the answer isn't about leaning more into our ideological bubbles, of cutting those off with whom we disagree. It is about listening. Surrounding yourselves with people from different perspectives and backgrounds and talking together and listening together can and does make a difference. It’s about finding moments of unity together, and talking about what it really means to have a society with liberty and justice for all. It’s about coming together as citizens and just being together. Listening is patriotism at its finest.