Why I Love the USA: Positive and Inspiring Patriotism

Patriotism is not a swear word, but nowadays it feels like one. It is vulgar. It’s meant to provoke. It’s even meant to threaten. At least that’s the impression we get if we look at social media posts. 

But that image of patriotism is distorted. It’s created by people who are loud and confrontational. Because these people post so often, they make us forget that there are better ways to be patriotic. They make us forget that many of us are patriotic in a soft-spoken and positive way; we just don’t post our feelings on social media.

I’m one of the soft-spoken patriots. I don’t like writing about my love for the USA. It feels like I’m cheapening it. For me, love doesn’t boast or brag. Love loves quietly and deeply. It is not blind, which means it sees flaws and mistakes, but it loves despite the flaws and mistakes because it also sees all the good and the beauty. Love is filled with gratitude, and love is unbreakable. 

So why am I writing this post about loving the USA? Why do I not keep loving quietly? 

It’s because the confrontational patriotism and the social media negativity are impacting more and more the little world in which I feel content: the world made of my family and a handful of friends. I see the people who mean the most to me feeling more and more disillusioned with and discouraged about our country and our world.

I’m determined to help change that. As much as I dislike social media, I understand that it will continue to grow and become an even bigger part of our daily interactions. If I want social media to be better, then soft-spoken and positive people like myself need to start posting also. And that’s what I’m doing.

One of the first things I’ll start posting is a collection of stories called Why I Love the USA. These are feel-good and inspiring stories about people who love America. Some of them are no longer with us, but many are people like you and me, who are still alive and who love our beautiful country. People who are patriotic.

I hope these stories will help show the complete picture of patriotism. I hope they’ll show that patriotism is often soft-spoken, comforting, and inspiring. That it’s OK to have a soul-deep appreciation for the beautiful vision that is America.. That it’s good to try keeping that vision alive for us, for those we love, and for those who’ll come after us.

I hope they’ll show that our country needs and deserves to be loved. 

I love America with all my heart, and I’ll start being more open about it.