Patriot Dreams

I find it illustrative of my life and the situation for many like me, that for the first time since the publication of the Unitarian Universalist hymnal “Singing the Living Tradition” in 1993 I found myself looking in it for “patriotic hymns.” And, equally illustrative that I found none that fit the bill. No America the Beautiful, no Star Spangled Banner.

In a sense that makes sense. Ours is a critical tradition, and we’ve long noticed religious support for the state, whatever state, has almost always proven a mistake.

But…

When 9/11 happened and I put together a worship service on the fly, I did not include any music that might be construed as traditionally “patriotic.” And while on balance I believe it was a good service and met most needs – it later became apparent to me the lack of patriotic themed songs meant some significant number of us felt a need that was not addressed.

So, this is the problem.

I have deeply conflicted feelings which include a sense that nationalism is indeed a disease, a cancer on the human heart. But it needs nuance. It also seems to me there is some other impulse that can be called patriotism, which is something different from nationalism.

There is a deep human need to belong.

I’m sure it has a lot to do, maybe in the last analysis everything to do with the fact we’re mammals and specifically herding mammals.

Now, lovely and powerful things have evolved out of this fact.

And I have no doubt it has something to do, maybe everything to do with that most amazing thing, language.

As we began to sing to each other, deep truths revealed themselves. Not only are we connected to our little bands, but to larger groups, to communities, to nations, and increasingly we realize, to the world itself.

Now, I think the nation state is a problematic thing. Nation states have created many good things. I am most taken with the various republican experiments in modern times. But nation states have also created myopic identities that have indeed led to terrible things. Too often greed, and hatred and ignorance are justified, wrapped in the smothering blanket of nationalism.

But, what seems to be emerging as, maybe the next step of cultural evolution, are multinational corporations. And, you know, they do not seem to be about furthering human good. The more I watch them, the more I fear for the future.

And the more I look at what is good in nations.

And, in particular, what has been good about our American nation.

Now, a mixed bag, no doubt. The litany of ills perpetrated by our country is long, too long. And we forget at our peril, and at the peril of the world…

And, and, and there is a dream that has run a current through our American hearts from the beginning. Observed too often in the breach, but never killed. And, the dream continues.

I think it was amazingly articulated by Barack Obama’s race and articulated so beautifully in the video “Yes, We Can.”

So, tomorrow, Tuesday, on the night following the inauguration of our forty-fourth president, I feel a deep need to fan those patriot dreams, to celebrate the possibilities inherent at the foundation of this nation. Tuesday evening we’re having a worship service at the First Unitarian Church that is about our new president, our nation and our hope for the world.

It seems absolutely right to me that we sing patriotic songs, with a dash of contextualization both from words and in the choice of one or two other hymns.

And that we pray. Even our tentative uncertain and weak prayers count here.

We should pause and give voice to our hopes.

Then on Wednesday and every day that follows it will be our responsibility to hold our new president to the terms of the deal. When, not if, he falls short, I and I hope the rest of us, need hold him to account.

That is the difference, I think, or a big one, between nationalism and patriotism.

May the dream continue…

(thank you Ms Kitty for the pointer to the Pete Seeger video…)