Opinion/Editorial
THE FLAG
A man named Joseph Campbell taught and wrote about mythology years ago. The man never gained his doctorate and was considered by some to be just another populist voice railing against social systems of belief too powerful to resist and too complex to be comprehensible. Joseph Campbell wrote about the power of myth. He wrote about symbols and how we use them to organize our thoughts, pursue our desires and succeed using group psychology and tribal belief systems.
Flags were created before known history. Banners and badges were invented to display beliefs, identify believers, rally supporters, and terrify opponents. The American flag, not unlike the flags of all other one hundred and eighty-six nation-states on earth, flies reverentially above the capitals of almost every American city, town, village, car dealership, or park. The flag is used as a badge of honor to bury war veterans, fly before parades, and always to identify its users as having a strong sense of belonging and participating in the social order.
How do we take what cultures teach us about the use of such powerful symbols to help us be more successful in life? How can we use the flag to help us follow our bliss? We must first come to understand that vastly powerful genetically applied forces of leadership and following drive all humans, ourselves included. Humans want to be great followers and great leaders, both at the same time. This conflict, hard-wired into our very souls, causes unending movement, change and friction to be inextricably woven in the fabric of all of our lives. Our military organizations, political structures, churches, and all businesses are constructed and run using identical linear dominance ‘skeletons.’ The bones of these functional structures depend upon humans working within them to be outstanding followers to people in higher positions and outstanding leaders of the people below them. The lowest human social condition is not that of working free of any of those structures, it is to be a follower with no one to lead.
Those unemployed, retired or even those living on trust fund money are not considered true participants in the social order. They are just around the real organizations that matter, their status designated by assets instead of work. The social orders dominating all world cultures are organized and set up identically, whether referred to as democracies, republics, socialists, communists, or dictatorships. Catholics are the same as Protestants. Buddhists are the same as the Amish. The only difference among all these structures is the size, colors, and symbols on their flags. The single success strategy allowing planet earth to be dominated by human beings has something to do with everything, from language to manipulative digits to toolmaking and more, but without the inherent inbuilt need to create, follow or lead with a flag this strategy would not exist. Humans must have causes. Humans cannot be defined as humans if they are not involved in leading or following many such causes in every area of their lives.
The next time you see the American flag waving from some upraised poles reflect on its true importance to you personally. You follow that flag not because you want to but because you have to. You are no more able to abandon that flag (in general) than you are likely to change supporting a different sports team as you age, convert to a new religion, or even change political parties. God gave all humans free choice. After God gave them free choice, He stepped forward to assure that humans would survive by drastically limiting their choices in such a way that they wouldn’t know their choices are severely limited. God made us all proud to be from whatever country we are from. Proud to be of the religion we follow. Proud to work for the company we work for. Proud to support our favorite sports team. Over and above all of those areas of pride He made us proud to be human beings. Without that pride, without those flags, we could never have created civilization and become stewards of an entire planet.
