General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should students be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance & hold hand over heart? [View all]bhikkhu
(10,708 posts)My sticking point was, first, the "under god" line. How can you go through the motions without being a hypocrite? And if the government forces you to be a hypocrite, what does that say about our alleged Freedom?
My second sticking point is the notion of heart-felt allegiance to a national entity. I do appreciate many things about our country, and objectively I wouldn't have a problem with saying we have a great country...but nevertheless I reserve the right to doubt and dissent.
I am a living being first, descendant of a long line of life that survived every challenge through millenia; then I'm a member of the human species, which has flourished for a variety of good and questionable reasons; then I belong to a particular geographically defined nation-state. The last part isn't the most important.