LETTER – National flags can foster pride, but also division and conflict

THE FLAG

Hoist the flag of nations Ya, Ya, Ya
Together sing our anthem Kumbaya
A symbol of unity, and of pride.
Are you with us or against our side
Our banner red and white hoisted high
Beneath its fabric, many people died

Forget division, death and the strife.
Forget the hate the cost in human life
Every year I fly the flag very high
On the front porch, everyone to see
Reminder of glory years gone bye.
Understand what does it truly signify

A new flag was vibrant and bright,
Honour, my heritage and its might
A cry for solidarity and division.
Just painting borders with derision
Maple Leaf in the corner, and more
A Red Ensign of unity next door

Across the street a Union Jack fly,
A parade of past glories in the sky,
Some see divisions, flags fuel the lie
One land, one people, one flag is right,
Igniting darkness, dimming the light.,
In the darkness of our mind people die

Stop! Nationalism unites us Ya, Ya, Ya
Not peace, but pride, it’s a bitter wave.
My porch, flags flap, singing kumbaya
The banner of love, the pride, flags crave
“Imagine there’s no countries” or soldiers
John Lennon sang “It isn’t hard to do”
“Nothing to kill or die for” he sang too

Imagine Lennon’s song no need for borders
Blind allegiance, as wives’ children cry
In blind unity no one can see the lie
In tapestry of colors, we sing kumbaya,
Unity, in a coffin draped in a flag ya, ya ,ya

Why did I write this Mel? It was prompted by the article about our flag on your blog. The article speaks to nationalism, unity, and identity, but ignores conflict that flags cause.

I use flags as a central motif, symbolizing both national pride and division. Phrases like “Hoist the flag of nations” and “Together sing our anthem Kumbaya” I suggest an attempt at unity, but I juxtapose it with the acknowledgment of the conflicts and divisions flags can represent (“A symbol of unity, and of pride. / Are you with us or against our side”).

I was born during a war thus reflecting the historical cost of nationalism, with lines like “Beneath its fabric, many people died” and “Forget the hate the cost in human life.” I highlight the paradox of national pride, where celebration of a nation’s history often requires overlooking or sanitizing the violence and strife associated with it.

In the poem I critique blind patriotism with phrases like “Blind allegiance, as wives’ children cry / In blind unity no one can see the lie.” In my view, uncritical support for one’s nation can lead to suffering and misunderstanding.

I defer to John Lennon’s “Imagine,” the song I played the very first day I met my History 12 students as an introduction to see if they understood its historical significance: Civil Rights, Kent state, Vietnam, and many other events that inspired the song that all of them were listening to. On that day I also played Ra, Ra Rasputin that they all danced to see what they knew about this role in the Russian Revolution. What I got was lots of blank stares.

All things that we see, hear, read unless we understand the significance much is lost. Listening to music sometimes is all that we need but life is not that idealistic. In this poem “The Flag” I contrast the idealistic vision of a world without borders or war with the reality of nationalistic fervor. The line “Imagine Lennon’s song no need for borders” presents an alternative vision to the nationalism depicted in the earlier stanzas.

I borrowed “Ya, Ya, Ya” and repeated “kumbaya” to satirize the oversimplification or superficial unity that nationalistic anthems and symbols often promote. I question the authenticity of unity when it’s driven by national pride rather than genuine peace or love and understanding that we must come to terms that we are one human race.

I use the vision and hearing of flapping of the flag in the wind as imagery of flags flying high, from personal spaces like a front porch to public spaces like across streets, paints a vivid picture of how nationalism permeates everyday life and public consciousness. I am reminded of my friend Vic who has many flags and flies each one depending on who is playing in the world cup or

National symbols can foster a sense of community and pride, but they also have the potential to incite division and conflict. The poem I hope encourages reflection on what these symbols truly signify in the context of human life and history.

WALTER TRKLA