But sometimes we learn something too well. And we know the words, but we forget what they mean.
There’s this creed, this pledge just 31 words long. We all know it – it was written by a minister Francis Bellamy in 1892. It went by a number of names, but when adopted by our US Congress, it was given the official title the “Pledge of Allegiance”.
We can all recite it. It talks of allegiance – words like Republic, Indivisible, Justice. And it says that it stands for all of us. But have we forgotten what it really means?
When I was a young boy, we used to watch this little 12-inch box we call the television. And one of our favorite shows was a comedian. His name was Red Skelton. He made us laugh and cry and think, and he loved America.
One night, at the end of his TV comedy show, he told the story of when he was a boy and attending school; how they stood each morning before class to recite the pledge of allegiance to our Flag. And as they did their reciting his teacher noticed; they were only saying shallow memorized words that really meant nothing. And that’s when the teacher explained to the children what the Pledge really meant.
Listen closely.
I – me, an individual, a committee of one
Pledge – dedicate all my worldly goods to give without self-pity
Allegiance – my love and my devotion to the flag, our standard Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves there is Respect because our loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job
United – that means we have all come together as states; we are individual communities that have united into 48 great States 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose that is love for Country and to the Republic
Republic – a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern; and government is the people and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people
For which it stands,
One Nation– meaning so blessed by God
Indivisible – incapable of being divided
With Liberty – which is freedom, the right of power to live one’s own life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation
And Justice – the principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others
For All – which means it’s as much your country as it is mine.
And then Red Skelton closed his talk with this thought. He said, “Since I was a small boy, two States have been added to our Country and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
The two words? – ‘Under God’.
Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said, “that is a prayer” and it is eliminated from our Public Schools.
Take a moment now – recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Think of the words.
Since I heard Red Skelton’s Talk, I have never thought of the Pledge the same.
God Bless You!
About Jerry Stewart
I am a story teller. Since 1998, I have been telling the true stories of our nation and those Americans gone before us. To say the least, these stories have been well received by Americans, both young and old. So, here’s where the stories have taken me. In 1998, I was broadcasting my stories on just one radio station in Washington State. Today, from Texas 15 years later, these programs are now broadcast through a syndicated radio network to over 400 radio stations all across America, with literally millions of listeners.
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