Hopefully this is the correct place for this thread, as it examines some personal philosophical ideas behind the Pledge of Allegiance.
This is a spill over from
School Officials in Mass. Town Won't Let Students Recite Pledge
of Allegiance. Thanks to Alienmind for starting up that thread. I started this one so as not to derail the topic.
So, American ATS'ers out there, when you recite the Pledge of Allegiance, what exactly are you pledging allegiance to? I can understand the idea of
pledging allegiance to a country, but what exactly do you, as a person think of when reciting the Pledge?
Is it the country as a whole (including all the good and bad aspects), the ideals behind your country? The principals on which your country was based
on? The government? Current or past ideals (whether or not they hold any force in todays world)?
Pledging allegiance to the flag is one thing. But surely each one you must have their own separate ideals when reciting this allegiance. This is
what I am trying to find out. I grew up in New Zealand, and yes, at the time we were more socialist then anything else. Even through our political
ideals were vastly different back then, is the way we view our respective countries similar?
For me, when I think of pledging allegiance to NZ (although, as far as I know we don't have an official pledge that people take), I immediately think
of freedom and the ability to 'do what I want” so long as it doesn't impede on anyone else. I know this not to be true in NZ nowadays (and many
other places in the world), so I guess it's now more of a reinforcement of beliefs that were previously held in my country. It for me, is a vision
of an ideal New Zealand, the country I knew as a child.
Surely you don't agree with everything that's going on in your country, so why does the Pledge have to blanket every aspect of life under one
banner? Why can't you, as people capable of independent thought choose not to support those things that you don't personally agree with?
It all boils down to this:
If you do recite the Pledge of Allegiance, then what or who are you personally pledging your allegiance to?
Thanks in advance,
Shane