Every Friday evening in DeKalb, Illinois two groups gather at the corner of First Street and Lincoln Highway. One group proclaims its allegiance to peace and justice. The other proclaims support for the nation and to patriotism.
It's not that the two goals of peace and patriotism are opposing. We as a nation have been brought to believe that to be patriotic one must be aggressive in defending the country -- that we must show military strength in order to defend ourselves.
I disagree with this notion of strength. I believe we can have strength through peace.
Strength through peace means bringing out the best of human nature. Peace encourages love and hope, whereas force panders to hate and fear. We all hope for a better future, we should start living that future. The biggest obstacle towards a better future is ourselves, but it doesn't have to be that way. We can make this world a better place for not only ourselves, but for our children, and generations to come.
Strength through peace means knowing that we no longer promote the kind of international animosity that causes us to spend more on our military than all other nations in the world combined. With strength through peace, we allow our government to perform the duties of promoting the general welfare of our nation, of providing for domestic tranquility, and of ensuring that the United States is a land of opportunity based upon the notion that all shall have an equal chance at a better future.
Strength through peace means that the United States shall once again be seen as a shining example of what people, when given a chance to determine their own future, can accomplish. We hold that people are not inherently evil, that government of the people, by the people, and for the people is a noble and accomplishable goal. People are at their best when their best is asked of them. People are at their worst when the worst is expected of them.
We hold that there are no just wars, only necessary defenses. All wars are acts of aggression where the initiating party is acting unjustly. War is despicable. It is worth noting that during war, everyone looks forward to the end. When a country does not use peace as a guiding principle, war becomes inevitable, and necessary for self-defense from an aggressor. Going beyond defense during wartime increases the likelyhood of prolonged war and makes lasting peace harder to attain.
Patriotism is love and devotion to one's country. I hold that regardless of the side of the street on which we stand, we are both patriots. Deep down, we both want lasting peace. We just disagree on how to achieve it.