Local Opinion: The Pledge of Allegiance is more important than you think

Sometime back when I was in grade school we would recite the Pledge of Allegiance before our classes began. Then when I joined the Boy Scouts we’d say the Pledge before any of our activities could get underway. As an adult I would give talks before clubs and organizations and joined in giving the Pledge as the first order of business. Historically, Congress recites it each morning before their sessions begin. It has become an automatic must-do for many gatherings and functions.

Most everyone knows the Pledge by heart — “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It’s not that hard to remember, just 31 words. However, I can’t help but wonder just how many people, young and old, are really paying any attention to what they are saying when reciting it. Most of us, I have discovered, recite the Pledge by rote while our minds are off wandering somewhere else. And in recognizing that, the question is raised just how many of us really realize the strong commitment we are making when reciting the Pledge.

The Pledge of Allegiance is truly more than just reciting a patriotic verse. When examining it closely we find in the very first words that we are making a pledge — a solemn promise and commitment similar to taking a vow. Then following that is the word “allegiance,” which is basically being loyal, obedient and aligned with a purpose. Therefore, a person reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is actually making a solemn promise to be loyal to, in the first instance, our country’s flag, which is our identification and a major symbol representing to the world just exactly who we are and what we believe and honor.

However, we are not just making a solemn promise to be loyal to the flag but also, in the second reference, to the republic for which it stands. And with that commitment we deepen the solemn promise even more because we are now accepting and are willing to support this country in which we live and we promise to abide by and live alongside all that this republic represents. That means we are supportive of and in union with the structures of democracy and what it requires.

The remaining words in the Pledge remind us that the United States is, in fact, one nation, and that it is being overseen by God, and that it is indivisible. When reciting the Pledge of Allegiance we are pledging to preserve the unity of our country, not letting any divisiveness separate and destroy the cohesiveness of our union.

Finally, the Pledge ends with us acknowledging that the United States is providing liberty and justice for all. The key words in that last section are “for all.” We are literally pledging to make our country totally inclusive for all people regardless of who they are or what they represent. In reciting the Pledge of Allegiance we are in essence agreeing to the fact that everyone who is a citizen of this country will be entitled to all the freedoms assured in our Constitution and to be treated with fair and equal justice.

One would think that because the Pledge of Allegiance is viewed as being recited by rote that it is being relegated to an unimportant role. But to the contrary the Pledge is a very powerful contract. When we recite the Pledge of Allegiance we are actually committing ourselves to critical obligations as citizens of this country in keeping this nation strong, safe and prosperous. And when viewed in that context, it is necessary to realize that those obligations we are promising to keep should not be taken lightly or for granted. And similarly, then, neither should the Pledge of Allegiance.