Dear Editor:

There are many answers to this question, yet it remains a phrase that is often said by us, heard by others and still open to doubt from time to time just as is all love statements, except perhaps those statements to our children. 

Humans accept loving one another as normal, but “loving our cars” or “loving our shoes” seems a bit different as these are inanimate objects. Is our country also inanimate? If we only see the land and its borders as being our country, then yes it is an object. If we see our country as only a matter of turf on which we build our homes and businesses, then yes it remains inanimate and unable to love us back. Why are we connected with passion to our cars, pens or phones? The theory is these items were designed to insure there would be a visceral response in our brain that triggers emotion causing us to purchase what we “love.”

Love is an emotional feeling and when we say we love our country we often do so with great passion. That passion causes people to volunteer risking their lives in war. That passion inspired song writers to create many anthems. To love with passion implies our country is more than land and borders. It is a country full of people who love the USA as much as we do. They join us in protecting our home and risk their lives to do so. Loving our country with passion is more than patriotism. Passion exists even if some policies of the government are against our concept of right or wrong, just as our children could be right or wrong. In both cases we love our country and our families.

Patriotism is love of country, but to love your country you must love its people. Loving our country means we use love’s passion to keep us on the moral path of good and greatness. Millions of the next generation are painting our lands with the path of country love.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb