EVERY RACE MUST BE WON BY SOMEONE

(Post by: Madie Hobbs)

When I got the opportunity to go to the Indy 500, I couldn’t say no.

I mean, who passes up getting to see the greatest spectacle in racing?

The day didn’t go at all how anyone planned, with four-hour rain delays and such, but still, the race organizers never passed up what really mattered. No one, including myself, could really have blamed them if, by 5 o’clock, they wanted to get the show on the road (pun fully intended) and forget about everything but the National Anthem. Only because that’s something you really can’t skip.

Instead, they focused on what really mattered. They continued with their veteran spotlight, focusing on one young soldier who was killed in 2003, by inviting his sister, her son who bears his name, and one of his commanding officers up on stage, where they received a standing ovation in honor of that veteran’s sacrifice. All the other veterans around the track were asked to stand so we could honor them as well with hefty applause. We sang America the Beautiful, God Bless America, and the Star-Spangled Banner loud and proud. We all watched a beautifully put together video reminding everyone in attendance that without the speed, courage, and bravery of our veterans serving our country, we would not be able to exercise speed, courage, and bravery on the track. Without their unfathomable sacrifices, there would never have been an event like the Indy 500.

The belief that America is exceptional rang through the hearts and minds of the more than 300,000 people in attendance and was further cemented when an American took home the BorgWarner trophy for the second year in a row in a nail-biting final lap.

Some of you may be wondering what difference this is supposed to make to you, why any of it matters enough for me to write to you about it. Well, in short, I write to you about this because I walked away from the event with a new appreciation for patriotism in the public forum.

Most of you know by now, if you’ve been around here for any length of time, that here at The Few, we are very much a patriotic group. After having just discussed on our podcast the depravity in our country making itself known through the violent riots on college campuses, where American flags are being torn down, burned, and replaced with flags representing nothing more than tyranny, I walked into this race feeling somewhat downcast.

I wondered if anyone else truly cared about preserving the great experiment that is America, or if I stood alone on the hill I am fully willing to die on that shouts America’s exceptionalism.

But then I stood in that grandstand.

The electric buzz of patriotism sizzled across my skin; tears pricked my eyes. The voices of over 300,000 Americans joined together to sing of our gratefulness and loyalty to the country that is our home. With nearly every right hand crossed over every heart, my own filled with a sort of gladness.

The fight isn’t over yet, we seemed to sing. We haven’t crossed the finish line yet.

But where does our finish line lie? For every race must come to an end at some point. Every race must be won by someone.

The only answer I’ve come up with to that question is: This race finishes when we decide it does.

My only discouragement with this answer is that many of us feel as though we’ve already crossed the finish line, when really the most crucial laps are still ahead of us. We’ve pulled into our pits, stopped the car, and jumped out, while the racers committed to destruction are still speeding round and round the track, driving it further into the ground with each lap, entirely unopposed.

So, we must ask ourselves, how many more laps do we have in us, and how can we make the absolute most of them?

If you want my opinion, I think we are in the most crucial final ten laps. We are nearing an end, and we get to decide which it is. Will we be as committed to our beliefs as our counterparts are? Will we be as unapologetic about what we know is true as they are about the lies sold to them under the guise of truth? Or will we sit back and watch the things we love burn?

It’s really that simple.

The organizers of Indy were willing to be entirely unapologetic in their beliefs. Why does this shock us? Just because they weren’t encouraging pedophilia and homosexuality, we act as if their expressions are criminal, worthy of ridicule and disrespect.

When will we wrap our minds around the fact that if our enemy is willing to be unapologetic, we should be too? In everything.

I encourage you today, dear readers, that if more than 300,000 people can come together and agree on one thing, that America is exceptional, we have more allies than I used to think.

“It is impossible to conquer a nation determined to be free!” ~ Thomas Paine

SO, WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Are you determined to be free?

= How can you be entirely unapologetic this week?