Today is St. George’s Day, the national day for England. In keeping with the theme, I’m wearing a red tie with my white shirt and I have my Union Jack (I know, it’s not the same as the St. George Cross) pin-badge on. But don’t forget, it does mean something…
St. George’s Day represents everything that is personal to England; everything English. Every year on the 23rd April, Englishmen and women turn out with their red and white flags to celebrate our country. As a Scientologist, I feel like I should celebrate my national identity even more, since Scientology encourages one not to be withdrawn and held back—which is how I see people feeling about that little subject called patriotism.
Unfortunately patriotism has been eroded by other interests. The Union Jack is all too often seen as a symbol of the British National Party (BNP), a radical right-wing ‘political’ party that espouses racism and suppression of ethnic minorities and foreign nationals. So does that mean we shouldn’t wear Union Jacks anymore? Hell no! The suppressive redefinition of a symbol should not be met with an ineffectual response or complete inaction, this will allow the act to go on and in the end we won’t have a flag!
But this is not the only way patriotism is being eroded. When the government does things that are not in the interests of its citizens, the people lose interest and confidence in the government and, in turn, the nation. Why celebrate something of which you aren’t proud?
Here’s what Scientology founder Patriotism:
“When a government puts up a gross public example of attacking decent people for no crime… the feeling of security of thinking men receives a distinct jolt.
“Time passes. Some insurgent force whispers “that government is no good.” The average citizen may not join up. He only nods quietly to himself, a silent “We know that.”
“Time passes. Revolutionaries with a new cause rise up.
“Machine guns start up in the streets. The conscript army quietly drifts away.
“The government cries “Citizens! Rise up! Repel the invader!”
“And in turn they get a cynical if hidden smile.
“So the nation falls. The government officials are torn to pieces by the mob.
“Why? Because they let patriotism be slain by the thousands, the millions of false accusations, by deafness to any plea for human rights, by shrugging off injustices out of arrogance or contempt.
“It is not for nothing that the phrase “a just cause” was coined. No cause is worth fighting for unless it contains justice for all.”
So my own patriotism is not necessarily representative of the current government interests, but of my pride in what this country has produced that is good and for the good people in this country who stand up for what is right, in spite of the dangers of being overcome by those with “other ideas”. This, to me, is what the story of St. George and the dragon is all about.
Happy St. George’s Day.