A lesson on patriotism from Ukraine

I recently visited the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. We traveled to Ukraine with my grandfather, who was born in that beautiful country. If you are not familiar with the history of Ukraine, then I recommend reading the Wikipedia entry on Ukraine.

While there, I attended a concert that celebrated Ukrainian art, history, culture and traditions. This concert included Ukrainian poetry, story-telling, music, singing and dancing.

The concert ended up being a 4-hour event, with no intermission. Despite it's length, I found it very interesting as I tried my best to translate tiny pieces of the spoken language. Everything was spoken or sang in Ukrainian, so English words were few and far between. I remember hearing one man mention the city of "Chicago". I was later told that he was sharing the story of his life. He was born in Chicago to Ukrainian parents, but came to Ukraine to join the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and fight for Ukraine's independence against the Germans and the Soviets.

After many different groups had performed, they all came back on stage for the grand finale. The last song was a popular, modern patriotic song which I believe was called "This Is My Ukraine". As soon as the first musical notes were played, the audience recognized the song and stood to their feet. They eagerly sang along with the performers, expressing their love and devotion to their country. The concert was officially over at the end of that song and after the last notes were played there was a moment of silence. Suddenly, the people in the crowd started shouting something to the performers. The performers nodded and then began singing the Ukrainian national anthem, without any music. Immediately the entire audience joined in, singing proudly about their beloved Ukraine.

Isn't that inspiring? Now, can you picture this series of events happening in America? Do we have events to celebrate our American history and culture? Are we proud of our country? Do we love our country? I want to go on record telling the world that I am proud to be an American. I hope this is not taken as being arrogant or spiteful of other countries. I am proud of my homeland, and yet I also respect other countries and enjoy learning about their unique cultures. Similarly, I humbly ask for people from other nationalities to show us the same respect and understanding of our culture.

It is right and good to be thankful for all of God's blessings, and I urge American's to remember just how blessed we are to live in this country. Don't be ashamed to freely express your love and devotion to America. This is what will keep America strong.

Patriotism can be defined as "Love and devotion to one's country". On that day in Ukraine, I experienced first-hand what unrestricted patriotism looks like.