The buffalo at Fort Robinson State Park in the panhandle of Nebraska have ruminant stomachs. So do the Texas Longhorns who also reside at the Fort. Ruminant stomachs have four distinct chambers, allowing them to digest things that are difficult or impossible for other creatures to digest. Interestingly, the word ruminate means to think deeply and repeatedly about something. Both words share the Latin root word Ruminari, which literally refers to cows chewing the cud--bringing up partially digested food to chew it over again. I was at Fort Robinson last 4th of July where I began ruminating on the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence. I did this mainly by reading books and watching countless C-Span history lectures online or on TV. We have a very colorful and interesting history, filled with conflict.
As a child in an all-white school in Wichita, KS my history classes were all rather uncritical of our history. They mostly praised how great a country we are. I imagine the point was to raise compliant citizens and foster trust in the government. In college, around the time of Watergate and the Vietnam War my history classes became much more critical, complicated, and far more interesting. We do have a wonderful history. We should all be curious about it.
Patriotism is defined as "the devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country. It is rooted in civic virtue and an emotional attachment to a nation's people, culture, and values, rather than just its geographical borders." Patriotism should not be confused with nationalism which is more aggressive and implies one group is superior to others. I wanted to focus my ruminations on patriotism. So, I planned on returning to Fort Robinson once again for this 4th of July. They have a wonderful Western Art show going on and the nearby town of Crawford puts on a large fireworks show.
Sadly, about three weeks ago two bolts of lightning struck the park's parched grassland. Young wranglers at the stables witnessed the flash and then the thunder. Fire then consumed around 40,000 acres of grassland and the pine covered buttes which surround the fort. Nearly all of the 22,000-acre Fort Robinson State Park burned with the remarkable exception of the historic buildings, park facilities, and campgrounds.
Firefighters and local people joined forces to save the historic fort and the town of Crawford. The common cause of citizens joining firefighters to save the fort and their community seemed to me to be a demonstration of patriotism in action. By the time we arrived at the Fort the fire was mostly contained and people desired to return to normalcy. The Post Playhouse, which puts on a series of wonderful Broadway plays at the fort during the summer, had a sold-out and fabulous performance of Oklahoma. People took the disaster in stride and focused on repair, because that is what we do. Hiking around the blackened grassland, I was pleased to see green shoots of grass already poking through the charred ashes of the fire. Repair has begun.
So, my ruminations on our 250th Anniversary came to this: The Alexis de Tocqueville quote is correct. Since we are humans, we sometimes do stupid things, but we can recognize it and apply a remedy. To me the South Fork Fire which devastated the Nebraska Panhandle can be a metaphor for the politics of America over the last decade. Just as nature is already reviving the park, our system of elections will bring forth new ideas and leadership that will change America for the better. I am optimistic. In Crawford, the town banned personal use of fireworks but plans to hold the big fireworks display at the rodeo grounds if conditions are favorable.
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
Footprints is a proud sponsor of the Post Playhouse. We have included a link below if you would like to donate to their Wildfire Recovery Fund.
