Today, I am wearing tan pants and a light blue shirt. To be more specific, I am not wearing red or white or navy blue. Why? Mainly because I got an email telling me to wear red, white and blue today to show my patriotism and support of the troops or whatever.
I’m not going outside and hanging an American flag today, either. Truth be told, there’s already one out there, and I’m too lazy to take it down (well, too short). I wouldn’t normally want to take the flag down, but when someone tells me I ought to be flying it, then I want to do the exact opposite.
I’m not going to drop everything today at noon for a moment of silence. And I’m not going to think fondly of all 3000 victims of 5 years ago and know in my heart that they are all in heaven as another email boldly proclaimed. I wonder if the author of that email also thinks that 70 virgins greeted these martyrs when they got there?
(Ouch, yes, that was biting, I’ll admit.)
I WILL pray for the victims and their families all day today, as I do on other days throughout the year. I WILL pray for peace. I WILL pray for justice. I WILL pray for freedom and for our country.
And I will pray for an end to spam emails.
Or rather, I will pray for an end to emotionalism, as described by Eric Scheske in this Catholic Exchange column from a year ago. I really don’t want to spend the day crying, as I did 5 years ago. I really don’t want to spend the day angry, as I did 5 years ago.
Patriotism is love and loyalty to one’s country. Time and again, the sages warn those seeking marriage that love is not an emotion, it’s a choice. This applies equally to patriotism. I choose, happily, to live in this country. I will defend the cause of freedom in any way I can (primarily by voting in every election). Symbols like the flag and wearing our nations colors are fine and dandy. But like wearing a wedding band, it is not the outward display that makes you committed to a cause, but rather the actions of daily life.
Have you hugged a soldier today? I did. Now that’s showing support of the troops.
Reit This Way 
Hi Michelle–I came over from Barb’s blog. Great post. I put myself on “media blackout” today because I just don’t want to be manipulated, you know, being told how to feel today or, even worse, relive what happened. It’s just too fresh.Of course, I’ll also never forget that on the 1st anniversary, my boss at my job at the time decided that was the perfect day to announce that the company was closing and we were all losing our jobs. As if we hadn’t cried enough that morning. Great timing, huh?
Welcome Kate. How awful of the boss. Well, maybe he just figured you might as well get all that crying out of your system.“Too fresh” is right. 5 years later and the memories are still very clear. We lived within commuter distance of NYC. Bad. Today, my husband is spending much of his time at the Pentagon. Too close to home.I’m not piutting my head in the sand. I just don’t want to be told how to deal with it all.
Michelle,I appreciate your sentiments. You and your family give to this country every minute of everyday by being a military family. For those of us who are not, we like to show our patriotism in other ways. I have always been proud to be an American (DH’s Canadian friends have affectionately nicknamed me “Stars and Stripes”) and while I don’t have a flag to fly out front, I would have put it out today if I did.It seems to me that the alternative to displaying one’s patriotism and rememberance of 9/11, is not to do or say anything at all. As if it hadn’t happened?To be honest, I don’t pray for the victim’s families everyday, as you do. This time of year sparks that reminder for me, and helps me to “feel for them” so to speak, and thus to pray for them.Because that’s all those of us outside the military family can do.
Nutmeg, I totally agree about the anniversary reminding people to pray for the victims: it’s like the Feast of All Souls. We take the time to remember those we promised to remember in prayer.Living in the DC area and driving by the Pentagon at least once a week now as I take my son to Walter Reed and having family and friends in the NYC metro area, really keeps the tragedy in the forefront of my mind. I admit I have an “advantage” in that regard.I really don’t have a problem with people showing their patriotism any way they want…I just object to the feel good emotionalism for a day or so and then a return to apathy regarding our country. Voting is perhaps a big example, where people dress in the colors all summer long, but then fail to vote come November. I just don’t get it.Not everyone is called to serve in the military (or give soldiers kisses hello), but if your patriotism is only for show or if you think that they only way to be patriotic is to fly the flag, then I object.
Michelle, I salute you for this post. I am so proud to be an American, but I also balk at the “authority” of mass emails or whatever telling me to do it. That said, I jumped right on to honor victims on my blog…but no one TOLD me to do it.Just how did I become a Catholic, with this streak of anti-authority? Nah, it’s not that, really. It’s more like being told to be so psycho-patriotic is nationalist somehow. Am I saying it right?OK, sorry to ramble. I just really related with your post. It’s not just patriotism…I have seen the St. Therese prayer going around and it ticks me off. Do you think she is going to grant your wish just because you pray that prayer in the email? Come on! Same with the flag out front.It’s what’s inside that matters. And we’d better work on that, a lot, in our country. Forget the flags and the wearing of colors. Let’s get busy prayin people!Ah, all that ranting gets a gal tired. 🙂
I suppose this whole thing has been a big anti-email hysteria rant. I am selective in forwarding emails. I think about the people I am including and really want it to be something that they would want to read or would find funny, interesting, whatever.When I get one of these email forwards (from “wear red on Fridays” to pray to the Little Flower for special miracles OR ELSE), I think one of 2 things: either the person sent it to everybody in their address book, and therefore I am not particularly special (just one of many…in other words, this is SPAM) or the sender actually thinks this would interest me in some way. And my response to anybody who thinks I need to be told HOW to support the troops or HOW to show my patriotism is that I DO IT EVERY DAY AS I LIVE AND BREATHE AND AS A MATTER OF COURSE. Bottom line: I don’t care how YOU show your patriotism or how YOU decide is the best or only way to show support of the troops, but don’t send me an email which basically tells me that I’m NOT supporting the troops or my country unless I don red, white and blue on 9/11.BTW, I thought all of the personal tributes to those who died on 9/11 were very nice. Great idea. But if someone puts one of those in an email and forwards it to hundreds of people with the idea being that anyone who doesn’t forward it to hundreds of other people is in support of terrorism or a cold-hearted monster, I pray God has mercy on me for my lack of charity to whoever sends it to me.
God help me (all of us) if our relationship with Him is determined by whether or not we forward an email. We are all doomed if our patriotism rises or falls on whether we forward an email or wear patriotic colors. If my friends only know they are special to me if I forward and email to 10 others PLUS back to them, then I am a lousy friend.SIGH – I’ve got issues with those kinds of emails too!Thankfully I didn’t get those emails you mentioned, but if I had I would’ve been deliberate about the colors I chose to wear too!
I feel your pain, Michelle (and sympathize with the lack of charity!). I’ve found in the last few years that now that I don’t often (ever?) send on fwd emails, I don’t get as many. Oh yeah, and the repeat offenders get marked as spam and lovely gmail keeps me from seeing them. Tee hee hee. There must be a divine hand in the creation of spam filters. 🙂There’s a streak of “nationalism” in some of those fwd emails and a few commercials I’ve seen since we’ve been gorging on football this weekend that disturbs me. Nationalism is a lot different than patriotism.But I ramble some more in your combox. Thanks for getting the wheels turning in my head. 🙂