patriotism-July 5

Because the large park near my house encompasses a hill and a ball field, it has become a favorite site for fireworks. Independence Day evening, the typically quiet neighborhood streets surrounding the park gradually become lined with cars, kids on bikes and families pushing strollers. People wearing various combinations of red, white and blue bring blankets and picnic while waiting for dark. The woman smoking on the blanket next to us has little flags painted on her fingernails. Having personally never lit anything stronger than an incense wand, I am shocked by the spectacular fireworks set off by ordinary people.

The park bottoms out onto the trail I frequently run. The morning of July 5, here is what I find:

For weeks we have traversed flag lined neighborhoods and observed flags in every possible public space. Where is the patriotism, the national pride, the day after the 4^th of July? The sovereignty of this actual, physical, tangible land was hard fought. It seems decidedly unpatriotic to treat it so carelessly, so disrespectfully.  

I know city crews will eventually clean up the park. But there are several problems with this. One, the US spends  $11.5 billion yearly on litter clean up. Given all that strapped for cash municipalities have to maintain, cleaning up after its citizenry isn’t ideal use of taxpayer monies. I would prefer my city use that money to improve the aging sewer system. Two, city crews are not combing this almost six-acre park looking for trash. They will simply empty the overflowing trash bins. Three, who will comb through are the mowing tractors, grinding up trash into smaller bits. The plastic film encasing cardboard packaging, Styrofoam food containers, firecracker pieces, cigarette butts from flag nail lady. All this litter will eventually end up in the ocean and in the stomachs of critters mistaking it for food. And on its way, further compromise our sewer system.

I am fairly certain love of liberty does not entitle us to use public spaces in any way we please without responsibility to those same spaces. Wouldn’t true liberty mean we’re not reliant on others to clean up after us? Wouldn’t true pride in one’s own extend beyond fireworks and flags?

I am not patriotic. I hold instead with the I am a citizen of the world philosophy. The earth and everything in it is my compatriot. As such, I understand my choices reverberate wide and far, beyond fabricated boundaries.

So next year, on July 5, I want to start a new tradition. Let us again line the typically quiet neighborhood streets. Let us again picnic. Along with our food and drink, let us bring trash bags. Just as we would clean up after parties in our small private countries-our homes-let us clean up. Let us clean up this land that was made for you and me. And let us remember it was made for everything else that calls it home.