Americas iconic Sin

America’s Iconic Sin
Everyone living person on the face of the Earth needs something to stand behind and have pride for, a symbol of great meaning and prideful characteristics. In most cases, countries have different flags which to rally behind and to use for symbolic events. As a nation, one would think that an object if such importance would be treated with up most respect. However, from an American point of view, this is hardly the case at all, and it needs to be addressed immediately.

As a student of my local high school, I stand up proudly every morning and say the Pledge of Allegiance to my flag, with my hand over my heart. But as the years went on, less and less students were taking part in this morning ritual and it has nearly disappeared from American school systems. Aside from instilling pride in myself and my nation, it is important to know where that flag has been and what it took to achieve the ideals it stands for. Thus, it is important to respect and take care of this precious symbol.

The American flag has a few simple rules that are in place to make sure that it is upheld with the highest level of dignity and respect. The fabric of the actual flag is to never touch the ground, or be dragged, as this demoralises the ideas it embraces while flying high. The flag should never be flown at night, unless there is a direct light source shining upon it, till light comes again and it can be seen without human assistance. There is, of course storage of the flag which most people don’t think twice about. There is a special and correct way to lower the American flag and then fold it, but because this lengthy process requires at least two and even three people it is often just ignored completely. It should also never be near fire or lit o n fire for patriot events, as this is incredibly disrespectful to the founders and the ideas it upholds. But perhaps the most common rule that is so often forgotten or just plain ignored, is flying the flag when the weather is not at it’s very best. Whenever there is any kind of precipitation, storm or violent conditions out, the flag is to be immediately lowered so as to not damage it. However, most places of business or wherever the flag is flown, disregard this rule and fly it high anyway, subjecting it to weathering. This is one of the biggest offences to the flag as it directly causes disrespect and physical harm to our nation’s symbol.

These practices need to change, as it instills the wrong morals and values, not just in the citizens of the United States, but in those visiting or being raised. Once a habit is formed it becomes increasingly difficult to break, and that is the sad case with the American flag. Children, young and old, need to be taught the proper ways of treating the flag, as if it were frail and breakable, as it can be. A flag that’s flown with tears or rips in its fabric is no good, and should be taken down quickly and hurriedly. Besides the physical side of this issue and the basic preservation of the American flag, it also spills over into the aspects of life itself. The way we treat other things in our nation, and the respect we have for these objects is very important. The flag flies to show what this country went through and fought for to achieve what we are today. Unfortunately so, it is being tarnished and morale for the flag is dropping. If children were raised in homes which had taken care of the flag since day one and were taught the proper ways of treating the flag and how it should be displayed, there would be no issue, but because that’s clearly not the case here, something needs to be done to address the problem here at hand.

If something is not down swiftly about the American flag, who knows what exactly will befall the nation's youth, as they could lose all respect for the bright stars and stripes. If that were ever to occur the country would be in a deep trouble, with no way out. It can be said without question that if the flag were to one day to take a backseat in the importance column, it would certainly spell doom for the rest of the counties dim future.