As a member of the Rotary Club, I look forward to Fridays where I join with other Rotarians to hear information of interest to the members that often has a message of optimism and community spirit. In this group of women and men, are lawyers, accountants, bankers, social workers, leaders, doctors, and business owners, academicians, and every kind of profession between. Each Friday we begin with a prayer, followed by the singing of the National Anthem, and the pledge. We then give "sunshine" moments and play a little game of drawing a card to receive a pot of money.
I enjoy singing the National Anthem despite its difficulty. The anthem has a large vocal range, wide melodic leaps, harmonic changes, and a complexity of words that makes it difficult to memorize. The range alone seems to prevent many people from singing the notes accurately. Yet, on certain days, I will admit to a surging of emotion that must be a form a pride in my country. The National Anthem reminds me of the battles for freedom and the inherent joy of living in America. In that respect, the weekly routine is a good one that I hope always remains.
Yet, sometimes I wonder about the true benefits of this. We sing it at sports events, concerts, public gatherings, and various types of celebrations. We rarely sing it in small groups and I do not recall ever singing it at any of the thousands of meetings I have attended. I have heard wonderful performances of it from trumpet players, to pop singers, opera singers, and still occasionally listen to the amazing performance of master guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Sadly, I have also heard terrible performances including children, poor singers, overly ornamented, odd approaches, and mixed up words. Who can forget the funny although a little offensive performance of Leslie Nielsen in Naked Gun!
Now we have this kneeling situation at sports events and are including other anthems. Baseball games include God Bless America in the 7th inning stretch. Symphony Orchestra concerts often begin with the Anthem but in a rather formal way (no clapping or yelling afterward). The other morning before a group run, around 50 of us stood still and listened to a recording of the National Anthem before we took off on our 9.11k run.
I suppose the obvious reason we sing this is for unification and patriotism. At a competition, the National Anthem starts us all together without anger and bitterness toward the rival team. I do appreciate the respect that is applied and it is rewarding and unusual to see 50,000 people or more stand very still. What would happen if we did not sing it? Would we be overrun with anger at the opposing team? Would the concert be less interesting or would the run not be as rewarding?
While I acknowledge right of players to kneel at the game, I do wonder why this has become a social and/or political opportunity to express a position? After all, it is simply a game and not even all that complex of a game at that. Why are we even patriotic at all at sporting events?
Perhaps it is time to relegate the National Anthem to concerts or strictly patriotic events? Would this further divide and polarize a nation that struggles with unity? Or would this allow for personal freedom from coerced patriotism at games?
As I write this post that asks more questions than provides answers, I wonder if my thoughts are somewhat subversive and un-American? Certainly, that is not my intent, but I do think we should examine our motives and goals in everything we do.
In the end, I must say that I sincerely enjoy singing the National Anthem and find it a challenge to sing it accurately. It is the challenge itself that gives me satisfaction and I look forward to those moments at all events. Being patriotic is just part of the story. The song itself is a toughie, but rewarding when sung well.
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