The Flag

There are several reasons as to why I do not stand up for the pledge in school. Reason one is that I view it as a complete waste of instructional time. We do not pay taxes so every one can stand up and recite an allegiance to an inanimate object, and certainly not every morning. The place for such things is at ball games, not public high schools.

Reason two is that the flag is just that, a flag. An inanimate peace of cloth. Pledging my undying allegiance to this seems... rather silly to me. It is as if I am idolizing the flag. In colonial times, idolizing was a crime punishable by death.

Back to the flag being a flag. It is nothing more than cloth. Truly, pledging my life to a piece of cloth seems ludicrous to me. In times of crisis what can it do? Blow in the wind? Get blown up? I understand the importance of the American Revolution. How it was the flag that we use today that survived that grueling battle. But the flag had no part in that battle. It was the people, those that believed so much in what the believed in, freedom, to die for it. This to me does not seem ludicrous.

I do have respect for the national colors. For what they stand for. For the blood spilled so that we, as Americans, could fly a banner depicting such freedom. This is, however, no good reason to stand pledge an alliance to it.

The flag is not what gives this country its power. It is this countries people that gives it power. Our government that gives it power. Our judicial system. Our police force. Our Military. But, not the flag.

If you ask me to pledge my life to something, I will pledge it to my country, my state, my fellow Americans. But not a piece of cloth. I do not do this just to be different. I do not do this to show disrespect. I do this because I see no point in it. As told in the previous paragraphs, the flag is not what makes this country great, but her people. The flag does not protect us from harm, it is the military and police forces that do that. The flag gives us not our freedom, it is our government that does so. The flag is only a symbol of this freedom. In America we have the right to choose. In other countries, not standing for your flag could mean death. Public execution. But it is our government that grants us the freedom to act out our own will, so long as it is within the confines of the law.