There is a bar in Sorrento called the English Inn. It is a really fun spot we all go to more often than I will ever admit, and hang out with our pal, Fabio. There is a staircase in the back that leads up to the “garden” where there are drinks and dancing. This is no ordinary staircase, though. On each step they have painted the flag of a different country. I thought this was really neat when I saw it, and thought nothing of it until one day I looked down and saw I was stepping on the American flag. All of a sudden, it hit me: Every lesson my parents ever taught me about patriotism and the respect we must always show for our flag, and our country, were being stomped on. Here I was, one redbull vodka deep, standing on my flag as if it were nothing. For the rest of the night, and the rest of my time in Italy, I will never step on that step again.
Was this the intention of the English Inn? Absolutely not. Will I hold it against them? Heck no! That stair is actually really cool looking. I think this stair has brought a really relevant issue to the forefront of my mind: Our generation lacks patriotism. Maybe I am just becoming homesick, but I have been thinking a lot lately about respect for one’s own country.
Sure, most American youth today likely own three to six articles of clothing with our flag plastered all over it, posting photos with the caption “Merica!” But this is not the type of respect I am talking about. We live in a generation that sees the American flag as a fashion statement rather than a symbol of what our country stands for. We may have more flag merchandise than any other generation before us, but we have the least understanding of what true patriotism is.
Patriotism is thanking a member of the military for their service, whether or not you support an ongoing war. It is flying a flag high in your front lawn, and burning your old and worn flags as tradition dictates. Patriotism is taking part in local and national elections, because it is our right and privilege to have a say in our leaders. Patriotism is giving your full attention to the singing of our National Anthem; your phone can wait (and please, please take off your hat!).
I grew up in a family that flies their flag high in the front lawn, says "The Pledge of Allegiance" with pride, and cries when they hear the "Star Spangled Banner." We listen to country songs about American pride and we get really into the Fourth of July. My mom, sister and I spent almost a whole summer painting the American flag onto the side of a large shipping container, which is proudly displayed across the street from my parents' golf course back home. Some people today consider this silly… and for them, I am embarrassed.
I have been in a foreign country for four months, and America is not perfect! There are a lot of things our country needs to work on. But I have never been more proud of where I come from. America is a force to be reckoned with around the world. Sometimes it takes a stair in a foreign country to remind you of the lessons we learned from our parents.
