How to be Patriotic

E pluribus unum

Squaretop Mountain as viewed from the Green River Lakes Loop trail in the Bridger Wilderness of Wyoming. Public lands, just one little piece of the US.

I conceived of this “How to” prior to President Biden stepping out of the presidential race. If you recall, the last letter I sent to you arrived just before that fateful debate disaster. We were already so tired. How would we have the energy to do the things needed to do to get us through the months before the impending election?

In this piece, I wanted to explore patriotism for myself, to articulate what I think there is to love about this country of mine and how we could build our appreciation and practice together.

But everything has changed since then.

Whether you were able to watch the debate or not, you know just how uncomfortable it got. That debate happened two months ago on June 27, 2024.

The calls for Biden to step down started right away. It was something I strongly resisted. To me the calls seemed to be more of the same shallowness of our hard-to-love American culture with its predilection for youth and perfection, a lack of value for an elder and his experience. More of the same blindness from our media and its tendency to put its attention on the wrong thing, the wrong person with the relentless attention on Biden’s poor performance, rather than Trump’s multitude of lies. I bemoaned that no one appreciated that American presidents come with a system and philosophy of leadership and Biden’s policies spark of his years of expertise and chops from observing and operating within the government. I felt that, if advanced age is our concern, we have processes in place that function if, god forbid, the death of a president happens. Plus, Kamala, right? I knew that changing course at this point in a campaign would introduce challenges that had never gone well in the past and there is more at risk in this election than ever before.

It was with these feelings that I took off to spend time in our sublime mountain majesties separated, thankfully, from the imposing American news.

Things developed while I hiked to mountain lakes and swam in their cold clear depths. More and more people pressed him. And almost a month after the debate, I overheard across a high ceilinged lobby in Grand Teton National Park that he had stepped aside.

With that news, we drove into Yellowstone National Park and through the Lamar Valley, where shifting masses of American Buffalo were like murmurations across the landscape. One beautiful specimen walked close alongside our car, while we were stopped in the traffic jam he caused. We could practically see our reflection in his dark eye. It was humbling to be so close to an animal who returns from the brink after seeing the very worst of America. A white buffalo calf was born in the Lamar Valley this summer. The white buffalo calf is a prophesy of hope. And to bring Joanna Macy’s meaning to it, hope is action. The calf has since gone missing, there is hope that the calf is with its herd out there on the great big American range, away from prying eyes, in pursuit of its own life, liberty and happiness.

America has a precedent for yielding power. Our very first President George Washington stepped aside after his second term, despite his huge popularity. He set the example of every president until FDR, as you probably well know. After FDR’s four terms, the traditional practice was codified into law. Bill Clinton’s speech at the DNC compared Biden to Washington, saying “he did something that is really hard for a politician to do. He gave up political power.” Washington’s farewell address was made famous to me by my children’s AP American History homework and the Hamilton song “One Last Time.” Washington intended to distinguish the new country from the monarchies they had rebelled against. As the song says, George Washington was “teaching us how to say goodbye.” It is this love for the greater good, this kind of patriotism, that we need right now.

When Biden stepped down, he endorsed Harris and just like that, the Democrats fell in line behind her. That immediate agreement was a surprise. I hadn't expected it would be so easy.

Right away, in the same valley where the white buffalo had been born, Henry started seeing the Harris’ laugh memes on TikTok. And shortly thereafter the news that our own Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, was on her short list for Vice President.

Again my tendency to status quo reared its head, thinking it unlikely he will be chosen and happy because then we’d get to keep him to ourselves. He has been a political true love of mine. A steady voice of reason for us from the very depth of the pandemic. A teacher from Mankato - Mom’s hometown. He says things in his own way, addresses the hard parts before anyone else, and knows how to get behind strong women and lift her up. His resemblance to my dad didn’t escape me, complete with GI Bill and Feminist values. In our household, he is lovingly referred to by the nick name Republicans tried to bully him with, “Tampon Tim.” It is said with much admiration and heartfelt affection. Early in the process, being interviewed as one of Harris’ pick as front runner, he wouldn’t comment, just saying, “I will trust her judgement.” And that just made me love him more.

And then when Harris did choose him as her running mate, only realizing more joy, because I’m so proud of him as my governor AND I love our Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, his choice. If Flanagan assumes the power of the Governorship, that will be historic as well. She will be Minnesota’s first woman governor and the US’ first indigenous governor.

Joy is a Brahmavihara, or one of the great abodes as the Buddhists say. A state that we are to cultivate and practice. Happiness happened so suddenly and naturally when Harris became our nominee, but we had been working on it already. Even in our exhaustion, we were already patriots, going through the motions, trodding along, doing the best that we could with what we had to work with. Growth happens with discomfort and effort. It’s been a hard, and a long haul to get here.

I wasn’t sure I needed to write this after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) happened. The four nights of speeches were like a primer on how to be patriotic. Do you really need to hear from me too? As Adam Kinzinger, former Republican House Representative from Montana and chair of the January 6th Committee said in his speech at the DNC to any Republicans paying attention “I learned the Democrats are patriotic.” It was delivered as a bit of a surprise, because the truth of the matter is, it was a bit of surprise for Democrats too. The convention was filled with the trappings that have often felt reserved to the conservative party, chantings of “USA! USA! USA!”, so many flags, and the word freedom on everyones lips and baseball caps.

My mom was a proud Democrat and a convention goer. She loved being involved in party politics and the convention reminded all of her daughters of how proud she would be right now. Go visit my sister Becka’s Instagram Reel that tells the story. And stories like Mom’s were the ones the DNC was lifting up. I can see what the pursuit of happiness looked like for my mom. She centered her belief that she was created equal to her male peers and operated as such, with joy, loyalty to her roots, and freedom to do what she saw needed to be done. She embraced a lot of change in that way, ushered her daughters into a new world, along with so many other women that she mentored, and allowed us all to remain connected to a strong foundation. She became a conservationist because she wanted to halt the destruction of the watersheds she grew up in, to preserve lives after the deaths of her loved ones that were endangered by pesticides. And she believed she could do it. I aspire to sing loudly like she did, be friendly while speaking up for what I care about, and value where I came from.

The past month has harkened The Lotus Sutra for me. It’s said that the Buddha delivered this lesson to an amphitheater full of disciples and as he was speaking thousands of them got up and walked out in arrogance. They did not want to hear that the path to Buddhahood is for everyone. The sutra contains a bunch of different parables that are to teach the teachers how to adjust the lessons to the needs of the student. And it predicts the enlightenment of everyone who touches it, all people, all castes, women and men alike. At one point in this surreal story-filled lesson, when the world needs teachers the most, they begin to emerge from the black earth all around them. The way joy has come easy right now, enlivening the people, stirring them from where they had been sleeping, lifting us up from underground.

Patriotism seems natural right now. There has been a shift and something new seems possible. The values that our country aspired to when it declared its democracy are close to the surface. We feel the joy. Citizens of a democracy need that kind of love energy to act. As Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter said, "In a democracy, the highest office is the office of citizen."

What I have learned from my time working with young people and their parents that the simple act of belonging that seems as if it should be inherent, requires effort, even for those that are fully privileged. It is nature that things align to make us feel separate and unequal. And perhaps in that way, we are the most equal of all. I have learned that belonging is a practice rather than a built in fact. Like a bramavahara, you must cultivate it. To start to belong, you sometimes have to take on a role you are not comfortable with. You focus on others and make them feel welcome, as if the giving away of your attention, your heart, wisdom is what it takes to be citizen.

Our country is a democracy, a government by the people for the people. A union between citizens with a capacity to work together to keep it functioning. Can we love this country enough to do the hard work it entails?

This has been hard to write for many reasons. But one of the main ones is because patriotism is a fraught subject. It is so close to nationalism. Patriotism is love of country and in the US that means the constitution, its representative government, the people! While love is virtuous, an action word that you cultivate through thick and thin. Nationalism is no virtue. Nationalism is an identification to nation in support of its own interests to the detriment of others within and without its borders. It is the idea of supremacy and the near enemy of patriotism. It can look like patriotism, but we should not be fooled.

We have seen our flags flown at too many nationalistic events, tarnished by the hate and violence of supremacy that has gone on under the guise of patriotism. The waving of the flag and the singing of the national anthem should by all rights belong to the citizen who shows up to talk his neighbors, to talk to those that may disagree, or may be in need, or to those who vote and help others to vote.

So I will end this note to you with the Buddha’s remembrances. The best way to stay brave and take action for the love of country is to remember that we are impermanent here on this earth. Change is part of what we must love. Hopefully the hope and joy that are bringing us together right now will make action easier for a good long time to come, but democracy is no place for complacency.

Here are the 5 Remembrances of the Buddha as translated by Thich Nhat Hanh:

I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.