© By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min.

The word “patriotism” came from the Greek word “patris,” that means “fatherland.” A patriot is a person who loves his country. We can spell the aspects of patriotism by using the letters of the word “love”. The “L” in the word “love stands for “Local.” Rudyard Kipling wrote:

“God gives all men all earth to love,

But since man’s heart is small,

Ordains for each one spot should prove

Beloved over all.”

Former Secretary of State George Shultz kept a large globe in his office. He would test a new ambassador by spinning the globe and having him put his finger on the country to which he’d be sent. When Senator Mike Mansfield was appointed ambassador to Japan, Mansfield spun the globe, put his hand on the United States, and said, “That’s my country.”

The “O” in the word “love” stands for “Open-eyed.” Helen Keller said, “I love my country . . . but my love for America is not blind. Perhaps I am more conscious of her faults because I love her deeply.” On the back of the one dollar bill is a visual message. The pyramid of thirteen rows of stones stands for our nation. The unfinished peak of the pyramid reminds us to be open-eyed about our national purpose. We have not yet realized that purpose of liberty and justice for all.

The “V” in the word “love” stands for “Venturesome.” To be venturesome means to be inclined to take risks. Brooks Atkinson said, “There has been a calculated risk in every stage of American development. The nation was built by men who took risks: pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness; brave men who were not afraid of failure; scientists who were not afraid of truth; thinkers who were not afraid of progress; dreamers who were not afraid of action.” We venture beyond the ancient patriotism of contempt toward other nations to a patriotism of cooperation.

The “E” in the word “love” stands for “Enthusiastic.” The word “enthusiasm” came from two Greek words that mean “in God” or “having God within.” American patriotism has always recognized the vertical dimension of the divine as well as the horizontal dimension of the human. Abraham Lincoln gave a three-minute speech at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. He worked on his speech for a week. Though not in the written copy of his speech given out before he spoke, Lincoln added two words under the inspiration of the moment: “Under God.” He predicted “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”