On a Patriotic Note...

It's interesting how much you can learn when you are preparing a lesson for a child. More than you learned yourself in school - for when you're a student, it's not necessarily your objective to really learn something; you just want the grade. But when your child is the student, your integrity is more complete and you strive for them to learn and understand, so naturally you yourself must learn and see the material as a whole.

 

I have seen this many times but lately more so, as we are studying American History. I knew all the right key words such as Mayflower Compact, Boston Massacre, etc. but I didn't really "get" the whole story... (Okay, history was never my strong point) And you know from watching your favorite childhood movies, the story is always a bit different anyhow when you grow up! Because we can relate to it differently.

 

So now that I am grown up I really see what courage it took for the colonists to stand up for something they believed in, or even to cross the great ocean in hopes of a better future in the first place! I think it's interesting how many of them were rebelling spontaneously but without a great end in mind - most of the revolutionists weren't necessarily aiming for Independence, at first. That would be too radical, right?

 

So what does it take to turn people's hearts and unite them for a common radical purpose? You need someone wholly radical without inhibitions who simply doesn't care. I know many people like that in my world; society calls them "crazy." But really, it takes nothing less than this zealous, passionate commitment to get society to change, or else nothing will ever happen.

 

At the time of the revolutionary war, even after several battles, before many people were striving for independence, that person was Thomas Paine. He wrote something very controversial called "Common Sense" basically saying to the colonists, HELLO! Look what they are doing to you! Why are you seeking peace?? Get away from them! That is common sense! and finally, the majority was swayed and they drafted the Declaration of Independence.

 

As somebody who has been called crazy for zealous ideas, and yet reacts with hesitancy and insecurity, I have utmost respect and a HUGE admiration for people to go against the grain and stick to it, welcoming the opposition and persecution. I really believe that is the only way for change to take place. You have to be controversial and stir things up. I see people devoting their lives to their unique causes and putting themselves out there, "come what may," sacrificing their reputations, careers, even risking inprisonment or assassination; and to me that is just totally awesome (my personal hero is Galileo, who stood up for what he knew was true, even though it was absolutely unheard of and he was called a lunatic and jailed as a result... another example of this is the prophet Joseph Smith who had no fear and was eventually martyred for his cause).

 

Anyway this is a long-winded post and that wasn't even the point I was trying to make! :-)   Just wanted to express how learning about American History as an adult has given me a whole new perspective; how much I admire my heros who sought to create a place of freedom and those who fought to make that dream a reality; how much I love this country! And it saddens me to see its near-downfall, how we have lost most all the ideals we sacrificed so much for in the first place, liberty and independence. And finally, I LOVE having the opportunity to teach these things to my children, to tear up and bear my testimony of the things we're learning about... that is a wonderful part of education you can't get in schools nowadays :)