Self-Consumptive Patriotism and American Global Leadership

Perhaps questioning calling attention to a common type of patriotism ... which I dub "Self-Consumptive" ... can be a cause for concern. Typically, there are two voices in this topic, which scream the loudest, drowning out all other voices. Voice one is from the fringe-left ... and at times from the moderate-left ... denouncing all forms of patriotism. Voice two is from the fringe right which only allows gushing sentiment over our country and way of life.

While it is certainly understandable that these two voices exist (they are reactionary to the perceived dangers of each other), it is unfortunate. Patriotism certainly does not need to be deported, as C.S. Lewis once quipped that we deride patriotism and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. On the other hand we blindly give absolute allegiance to anyone to our peril.

The point I have been attempting to make over the past couple of posts is that the version of patriotism ... that I find as appetizing as vomit ... is an unthinking, blind, and often reactionary patriotism of self-consumption. This type of patriotism is love because someone or something gives me something ... or makes me feel a certain way.

While any love will exact a certain amount of good feelings in anyone from time to time, unfortunately in our day, love is almost solely defined by what someone does for me or how someone makes me feel.

What happens, then, when those feelings run dry ... or out all together?

True love from my standpoint, while certainly containing good and positive feeling caused by someone or something else, is more properly defined by what I do and and give to someone or something else.

In short love is primarily a verb ... not primarily a feeling.

The Rand Corporation has produced very welcome findings that we Americans are still heavy-weight competitors on the global scene in Science and Technology.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG674/
Scroll down the page to download the Online PDF of their document.

What will be the results of raising generations of Americans to be primarily self-consumptive? Only time will tell. My prediction is that self-consumption can in no way aid our efforts in producing global leadership in various important areas ... such as science and technology.

And certainly self-consumption will not grow dynamic churches, whose Lord calls us to die to self. Self-sacrifice for God and neighbor is ironically the older, supposedly outdated form of patriotism that calls one to self-sacrifice for God and country, as taught by the Boy Scouts.