What if every day you went to work you were required to stand at a signal and swear loyalty to the company, no matter who was in charge or what the administration decided? What if you taught your children the words you used to swear loyalty and encouraged them to repeat them mindlessly, like a prayer in the mouth of some strange talking monkey? What if, even if the company carried out policies that resulted in the mass death of other human beings, your children continued to swear loyalty without even knowing what the words meant?

There comes a time to question whether it is better to pledge allegiance to a country or to pledge allegiance to the well-being of humanity. Does a flag mean more to you than your personal ideals and morals? Patriotism is one thing, but indoctrination is another matter. Blind patriotism does work—but for who? Our children, fanatically pledging their allegiance to a system of government and way of life they barely understand?

I do not call into question the morals of our government. That is a matter for another time. I call into question the morality of the concept of indoctrinating malleable minds with any kind of absolute pledge to a system of government.

What is the purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance? An inscription for statues, maybe, or an idea from the mind of a poet, but not to be prayed from every elementary school. American exceptionalism closes minds, and ingraining the notion that there are no other options but the American flag only closes them earlier and more permanently.

Furthermore, beyond the walls of elementary and middle schools, is the Pledge of Allegiance even true anymore?

One nation, under God— is the idea that we are the chosen people much different from the idea that The United States is the “best” nation?

Indivisible—We are told that our government operates on the principle that we are divided politically, but what about dividing lines across classes? The United States has never been more financially divided.

With liberty and justice for all —maybe, if you can afford a good lawyer, not to mention recent accusations of racial profiling by the courts.

I call into question how relative a flawed poem is in today’s world. We call it our Pledge of Allegiance, but our children, not even old enough to understand what it means to pledge allegiance, recite it daily and blindly. On top of that, the language seems outdated and, sadly, promises things that our government no longer provides.