What the American Flag Means to Me

A Meditation

Above: Old Glory, representative of older Honor and ancient Duty.

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The Fourth of July has me thinking about the grand experiment that is America—what it was, what it is, what it could be, what it should be, what it will be.

The United States represents many things to many different people.

It exists as elephant on the world stage and—much like the parable of the blind men and an elephant—inspires love and hate, envy and gratitude.

My friend Sid Jha summed up my feelings nicely (kilometers notwithstanding) more than three years ago:

There's been a lot of talk about America's decline as a superpower.

It's only fair – you'd be hard pressed to find such hegemonic rule after the post-WW1 British Empire. After a rise comes a fall. But I think most of these fears are overblown.

The United States remains the best place in the world to create a great life. Adding to this wealth creation engine is its greatest export – America culture. Culture that now has the tailwind of the internet. Every single one of my cousins watches Friends and Big Bang Theory. 13,000 kilometers away, they are getting a piece of America.

That alone is reason enough to be bullish on the country.

A nation is nothing without a story and a story nothing without its symbols. E pluribus unum stands above all: The American Flag.

What follows is a brief meditation on a symbol known the world over:

Please note: the below is best read on a widescreen desktop or laptop.

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Stars and Stripes—shapes that are paradox of exception and communion.

From one to many or from many to one? The pendulum slowly swings to and fro.

Red for blood and fury that baptized nation, turning soft boys into hardened men.

White for perspiration, salt of work and fight—garnish on freedom, flawed but beautiful.

Blue for tears over chasm between aspiration and reality in past, present, future.

And for what? Mere Idea? One perfect and pure in theory but savage in practice—

These colors don’t run, but often stumble. East of Eden but central to freedom.

Burn you they may, tear you they might, proudly you’ll wave both day and night,

Obeying the wind as waves do the moon—creases cracking and stripes snapping:

Each an uncertain, guttural cry of freedom of the people, by the people, for the people.

Always in motion, never at rest—more work in progress than fixed locus.

In some seasons, your idea sustains us more than you, yourself, do. And still, we pray:

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

You are

Resolute

And good

And proud

And true

And glorious

And free.

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Per my about page, White Noise is a work of experimentation. I view it as a sort of thinking aloud, a stress testing of my nascent ideas. Through it, I hope to sharpen my opinions against the whetstone of other people’s feedback, commentary, and input.

If you want to discuss any of the ideas or musings mentioned above or have any books, papers, or links that you think would be interesting to share on a future edition of White Noise, please reach out to me by replying to this email or following me on Twitter.

With sincere gratitude,

Tom