The Divided States of America

You can already guess what this is about, thanks to the title. I know . . . I know. This subject has been done to death, but that’s exactly why I want to talk about it. I could bring up the flag that everyone has an opinion on, and I will, but this issue isn’t that simple. I have many friends and a lot more acquaintances on Facebook. For the last month, all I’ve heard about is the Confederate flag, and depending on where you’re from or what you’re into, you probably have some kind of opinion about this. The problem with this issue is it’s everywhere, and people seem to be extremely opinionated about it. That’s a dangerous thing. Some believe their “heritage” is being trampled all over, and a few of these people are even willing to fight for it. Then there’s the other side. They view the Confederate flag as a symbol of hate, and think that most who fly it are racist. That’s a pretty big separation, and both views are far from reality. I’m going to tell you why no one seems to have this issue right, and you might not agree with me. You don’t have to. It’s just one man’s opinion, but I truly believe that if both sides would look at this issue in reality, they might just find that things are much simpler than they believe.

First, let’s challenge the belief that our government is trying to take southerners’ heritage. Does a flag define you and where you’ve been? Is it truly what makes you feel pride about where you’re from? If it is, then maybe you like the idea of something more than the reality. Here’s the truth. No one alive today ever fought in the Civil War or even knew someone who did. That flag might represent different things to different people, but here’s where it came from. It’s a reminder of a dark past where many Americans died fighting amongst each other for a number of reasons that were all wicked. Take your pick of issues in the Civil War. There was slavery, taxation, and an argument for State’s Rights. All of this is a representation of things that are a very dark part of our history. Our ancestors enslaved and were enslaved for nothing more than cheap labor, and what some viewed as unfair taxation and tariffs contributed to an already unstable situation. Then there were State’s Rights being used for what was what many might call a traitorous war, depending on what your opinion is about all this. The point is that nothing about the history of the Civil War is something for us to take pride in, and I don’t mean that just as someone from the south. I mean that no one anywhere in the country should consider the darkest part of our history as something to take pride in. If you want to be proud of your heritage, then by all means, do so. Make sure you’re proud of things that are worth something, though. I’m from Mississippi, and a flag that was created long before I was born doesn’t fill me with anything. I don’t feel hate for it, and at the same time, I feel no pride. It’s just a meaningless symbol for me. The things I feel pride about are much closer to home. For me, it’s all about my immediate family, and when I look back at history, I choose to feel pride in the great things that were accomplished here. The first lung transplant was performed by Dr. James Hardy in Mississippi. That’s the type of thing you can build on, not a long lost war or a flag from it.

Now, let’s go to the other side of this. Some assume that anyone who flies this flag are automatically racists and even go as far as to say it should be against the law to fly it. Are some people racist who fly the Confederate flag or wear clothes that feature it? Sure they are, but that can be said about people who don’t. The fact is you don’t know someone’s heart. What that flag means to somebody could be the total opposite of what it means to you. I see no significance in it, but I do see significance in many things that people dislike. Some of them remind me of people who have passed on or spark memories of people I haven’t seen in a long time. I understand that some people find that flag offensive and racist, but people need to slow down for a second. You can’t censor what a person does on their own property or change how they choose to feel, nor can you accurately judge their hearts. The Civil War and slavery happened a long time ago. No one is alive who went through that. I know some have suffered discrimination, but that’s just life. Someone somewhere is always going to dislike you for the color of your skin or your gender. We can’t control that. All we can do is show love for people and work to break through stereotypes that are created to divide us. There are some left in our nation who hate others just for the color of their skin. They give themselves reasons to hate that are only in their head. People may say that black men must be lazy; women must not be as emotionally stable; a white guy who has a bumper sticker with a flag on it must be a racist. See how it works? Sometimes stereotypes are correct, but most of the time, they’re just something we concoct in our brains to justify our worldview. We can’t force others to change to accommodate our worldview. A flag is just that. Has it been used as a hate symbol? Yeah, more than a few times, but I think if you’ll really examine any symbol, you’ll find that someone thinks its offensive. We can’t outlaw all symbols because we assume they’re going to be used in hate, and we should never think for one second that we can judge the hearts of men because of how we feel about something. It’s not possible to do.

Now, for how I feel about this. We are not The United States of America anymore. We’re the divided ones. Everyone is offended about everything it seems, and no one can give an inch. Would it be so bad if the Confederate flag didn’t exist? Would it change everyone’s existence who flies it? No. It wouldn’t change a thing. At the same time, taking it down wouldn’t change anyone’s existence either. Racism would go on because it’s a disease for the ignorant and delusional. Unfortunately, the ignorant and delusional are always going to exist. To me, this issue with the flag represents so much more than a flag. It’s an example of what we’ve become as Americans. There are men and women, white and black, Democrat and Republican, and north and south. Where are the Americans? Where are the men and women of all colors and beliefs who see this as their country and agree to disagree because sometimes that’s what freedom is all about. Sometimes it’s about saying I’ll never see things from your point of view, but I respect where you’re coming from, and you’re still my brother/sister. We’re in this together, and that’s something we’ve forgotten. We can’t remember how to be proud of our country and the people in it. We lobby for self-interest all while fighting anyone who stands against what we represent. We’ve forgotten the most important part of our country’s name. We’re The United States of America. Without unity, we’re bound to fall, and it probably won’t be to a foreign enemy. The very system that was built for us will crumble because of selfishness, wickedness, and the inability to shut our mouths for two seconds. That’s all we do anymore. We’re a nation of complainers. It’s on the news and social media, and I don’t think people dislike it. I think they get some type of sick enjoyment out of the division. Well, I don’t. Here’s me saying my two cents. To my brothers and sisters of any color, I don’t agree with everything you do, but I’m in this with you. I’m an American, and I love all of you, regardless of your beliefs or background. With you, I would bleed to maintain the life we’ve been presented with. That’s our true heritage. We’re Americans, and we can stand together or fall under the weight that we put on ourselves every day.