I hadn't thought about it that way. I suppose the view people have of the pledge is something like an exercise in patriotism, although there is an argument for it being little more than dogmatic repetition...
I wonder if, instead, the pledge was a voluntary act committed by parents before sending their children off to school if it would be more useful. It could lead to curiousity on the part of children and the parents could explain why they make a point of saying the pledge everyday, thus teaching their kids and learning themselves along the way as their children inevitably ask them questions which they will have to research to give their kids answers...
I hadn't thought about it that way. I suppose the view people have of the pledge is something like an exercise in patriotism, although there is an argument for it being little more than dogmatic repetition...
I wonder if, instead, the pledge was a voluntary act committed by parents before sending their children off to school if it would be more useful. It could lead to curiousity on the part of children and the parents could explain why they make a point of saying the pledge everyday, thus teaching their kids and learning themselves along the way as their children inevitably ask them questions which they will have to research to give their kids answers...
I can see that interpretation. I can also see an allusion to an impenetrable unity, along the lines of the four oxen and the lion.