The last place you would think to look.

We have all of us lost/misplaced something and looked tirelessly to find it for hours, sometimes days, on end. We retrace our steps, replaying every move we made only to later find it after resigning ourselves to the fact that it is lost. More often than not, we find it in the most unlikely of places (your wallet is in the freezer, a missing key is in your winter coat). Well, somewhere over the past few years I seem to have misplaced my patriotism.

Having served 4 years in the United States Marine Corps, you would assume that I would tend to be predisposed to a keen sense of patriotism. Nevertheless, I have witnessed a steady decline of any previous patriotic leanings. As to the root cause, I can not testify. I will spare you a lengthy diatribe about the threat of liberalism and its systematic fraying of the fabric that binds Americans together. To be honest, I don't know that I could even accurately articulate such an argument, let alone confirm such a theory. But I can confirm I had somehow misplaced these feelings.

Ironically, I have once again felt the surge of patriotism and the tingle on the back of my neck when I catch a glimpse of Old Glory. Perhaps I am mistaking familiarity with patriotism, but I would not suspect such. I believe my feelings are genuine and true. What has prompted this resurgence? I think it is watching the intense feelings of pride and patriotism held by nearly all Koreans. Feelings that motivate millions of Koreans, young and old, to watch the World Cup soccer matches at 3:00 A.M., with thousands of them congregating at City Hall. It is the collective identity with which Koreans identify themselves. The pride shown in all things Korean, from kimchi, to cars, to dental floss. There is hardly an area of Korean life that is excluded from this pride. Observing this, I have to ask myself "Why can't I take the same pride in all things American?" And so now, I do.

Flying 7,000 miles around the world to find something I lost somewhere I would have never thought to look. And I wasn't even looking.