Red White and Blue

Wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day.  Highest respect for the rebels who founded this country, who believed in the rights of man (eventually they'll recognize women equally) and decided to risk everything to become a free state.

Since the Fourth of July is one of our national holidays, and lots of people come to the mountains, I welcome all our visitors to our Tailgate Market, and to purchase our pottery! (Have to remind y'all in case you forgot to come see what's new at the MudBuddies booth this morning 9-12)

I'm glad to be an American, compared to almost every other country on earth.
But I'm not a patriot.

I prefer to identify with my membership in a larger community, the earth.

I'm a Gaian.  An Earthian.

That way you might compare my existence to that of a Martian, Venusian, Lunarian, etc.

Of course when we humans do meet the extraterrestrials, they probably won't be bipedal humanoids, and I just hope they aren't patriotic.  That's because that sense of "mine is better than yours" or a dualistic mind-frame, seems so childish (remember arguing over things with siblings or classmates?) and hopefully another culture will have another way to relate to those they meet, as well as a way better than wars to solve their different opinions.

Let's imagine that the superior non-humanoids will have evolved not only in technology (enough to get here from wherever they started) but in relations between each other.

Of course if you remember a certain Start Trek TV series, the Borg had come up with a different form of relationships, in having a hive mind.  It sure scared the b-jessus out of me!

I've actually wondered if humanity is going in that direction itself.  But when there is real peace on earth, I think I will have already left this life.  I am reminded of the short period of time I was a Quaker.  And I'm reminded of my naivete' in naming my youngest son T'ai, which means Peace in Chinese.

So thus I end my yearly rant about patriotism.  The concept is separatism to me.