For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance; at school, baseball games, football games, my personal sporting events, and on TV. Even when I am tired or my legs hurt, I stand and recite the words. Within the facility, the women and children rose while the men removed their hats and placed them over their hearts; I distinctly remember how much I enjoyed that everyone seemed unified for just a moment when I was younger. I was raised to respect my country and be grateful for what I have.

Lately, the issues in our society have become so personal to some people that they feel as if they do not owe it to their country to stand up for twenty seconds and show appreciation for what we have. More and more people every day are joining the revolution of doing nothing. The reasons vary; between the police brutality, targeted attacks, presidential candidates, LGBTQ rights, and other political matters our country is facing, they have deemed honoring our nation irrelevant.

What these people don’t comprehend is that we are not standing for the enraged shooters, entitled politicians, bigots, or the power driven police in this country, but for all of the good that is ungratefully overlooked. As terrible as you think this country is, most other countries are dictated by people like the few police who let power get to their head.

If you think America is a bad country, then try to live in Syria or other third world countries for a few days and your whole perspective will change. Just a simple walk down the street would make your stomach churn. Between the hungry children and dictatorships, some countries are truly at rock bottom. The prosperity is overpowering and the freedom is unbelievably limited.

When I stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, I don’t think of all of the things that I would change; I think of all of the fallen soldiers and their families at home. I think of all of the wives and children whose hearts stop beating every time the phone rings or there is a knock on their door. I think of the soldiers that thought that America was something amazing and worth fighting for, who risk their lives every single day while they miss their families back home. I could not imagine having someone in my family overseas in combat, so I remember how thankful I am for the ones who do.

Just like you, I despise those horrific people who stir up havoc in our country. I think that they are shallow and that their actions demote the reputation that our Founding Fathers wanted the United States of America to uphold. Unlike you, I do not hate the country as a whole. I remember what we have compared to other countries and the people who are putting their lives at stake to improve it. The glass is not half empty in this country, but refusing to stand by it does not make the glass any more full.