There are 11 National Holidays that are celebrated in the United States.
As proud Americans, we celebrate each holiday in the same patriotic manner: by indulging ourselves in the sales each holiday brings.
What does Memorial Day mean? For remembering the brave soldiers fallen for our country? Of course not. I am just excited for the amazing sale at Best Buy.
How about Thanksgiving Day? Shouldn't we be expressing our gratefulness for this life?
Gosh no. I'm ready for Black Friday.
In the past 10 years, holidays have essentially completely lost their meaning. The general masses celebrate them without remembering their initial meaning. However, when they are celebrated, the holiday has a unique meaning for each individual.
For many Americans, Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, is the most momentous day of the year. We have barbecues and enjoy the effervescent fireworks. For that one day, we pride ourselves on being the most patriotic patriots we can be. For that one day, we are proud Americans celebrating the day when we understood that "all men are created equal" (Jefferson).
On the other hand, some Americans feel lost on this so-called "momentous" day. Neither do they feel patriotic nor do they feel proud. African Americans and Native Americans could not feel any more out of place on this celebratory day.
Even as all men were finally considered equal, these two groups were kicked of the pedestal of equality and were forced to look above to see the ideal American.
For years after independence, Native Americans and African Americans alike were abused and denied their "unalienable rights" (Jefferson).
So what is the meaning of the July Fourth for a minority?
It's just another day in the calendar. Another day of forgotten patriotism.
What does it mean for you?
While reading your post I found myself questioning what it means to be a patriot. I realized that I don't know and that definitions of the word can be so vastly different depending on the person. Personally, I don't know why I recite the pledge every morning or rise when the national anthem is played. I think this question of what exactly patriotism means is an important one that should be explored. Nice post!
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ReplyDeleteJust like what Shankar said, I started questioning myself what I really think the true defintion of patriotism means. I especially liked how you pointed out that we tend to think of sales on these holidays first. I could definitely relate to it, and I realized that I should also continue to remember the true meaning of all the holidays we have.
Wow! This really opened my eyes to, like you said, how much we have truly forgotten what these holidays stand for. For me, it just seems as if I'm going through the motions on these holidays, not bothering to think of the greater picture. Also, the tweet you included was extremely relevant.
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