"I pledge my allegiance to the flag,
of the United States of America,
and to the republic, for which it stands,
One nation under God,
Indivisible,
For Liberty and Justice for All."
Why does the school feel it's necessary to force all the students every morning to stand and pledge their allegiance to America's flag? Every morning, without fail, the students stand together with their hands over their hearts (maybe) as they mumble their loyalties to the red, white, and blue fabric hanging from the wall.
This is one thing that really bothers me. First of all, I take my promises and pledges seriously. So I ask, what can be done when a job relocates me to another country and I am stuck with my loyalties pledged every day of my life to a nation I no longer live in? Does that mean I cannot be loyal to the new nation in which I live? Am I forever bound to the United States? I do not ask this because I do not appreciate America but rather that I appreciate other nations as well.
Also, I ask, does the school or those in authority have the authority to force me to pledge my allegiance to America forever? Speaking of which, it is not like promises or pledges are like contracts that eventually expire. What is the point of renewing them, then, every morning? Teenager (and people in general) may be fickle but not that fickle.
Line three, skipping line two which there is nothing to say about: "and to the republic, for which it stands." Ah, there we go, we are also pledging to the USA.
Also, flags stand? Good to know...
The fourth line: "One nation under God." Oh so controversial. Let me just say this, that's horribly presumptuous of us United Statesians. Tell me no one any more actually believes in the whole America-the-City-on-a-Hill thing. We may be great, but not that great. The one nation with the best claim to that title (that of being one nation under God) would be Israel due to the fact that just about everything religious came from or is in Israel. (Pardon the generalization, I do realize Mecca is not in Israel and other such examples. I speak in generalizations a lot and am too lazy to fix it.) Other countries are just as great in their own ways. For instance, how can you compare Naboo and Middle Earth? To me, you just can't. They're both great places. Different, not wrong or bad. Clearly we have some issues if we teach our children from preschool that the United States is the white hat vs. the rest of the world's black hats.
The fifth line proves how outdated this pledge is: "Indivisible." And I say that I live under a rock. Civil War? Government shutdown? Nothing? No? I also thought it was me who made generalizations and absolutes. Please, never say never (as both the Fray and Justin Bieber sing). I'm not saying I want that to ever ever ever happen (future politicians: unity is good) but the Roman Empire collapsed eventually. Not only the Roman Empire but also the Holy Roman Empire. The Ottoman Empire is also off the maps. The British Empire collapsed too, though thankfully Britain is still in tact. We used to be apart of the British Empire; look where we are now. Britain no longer owns the world (as far as I know, but then again I do believe I live under a rock).
Finally, we reach the grand finale: "For Liberty and Justice for All." That'd be nice. Will it ever happen? We'll see I guess... But this line does not give Americans the authority to jump into other people's business either. Just remember that. However, liberty and justice are good and important. I am very lucky to live in a nation that at least has the ideals of liberty and justice in mind.
I am very blessed to live here in the United States; however, I do not feel it is necessary to pledge myself to the States every morning, for my entire childhood, no exceptions.
