The Pledge of Allegiance ... ?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

This is the pledge as we know it today. It is what it is. It is a bunch of words strung together. It doesn't make you a better citizen if you know them or recite them with your hand over your heart staring directly at a large and rather garish piece of cloth. If you think about it, what sense does it make to pledge allegiance to a flag? A flag is a symbol. Shouldn't you pledge allegiance to something more substantive, like the constitution? What about something more real, like your fellow citizens? What about if we recognize that a pledge is just a promise, and that the real importance is not in the promise but whether you follow through on it? I'm not too worried about the "God" language, as opposed to the basic tenets of freedom of religion that are supposed to be at the core of what we are as a country as it may be, because I think stressing too much about the pledge itself is a little silly. I think we spend far too much time protecting symbols and rituals, and far too little time worrying about whether we are living up to the ideals laid out by our founding fathers … or coming together to tackle the problems that are facing us in the here and now. If you really want a pledge, I've got some suggestions. What about a pledge to use logic and reason? What about a pledge to make informed decisions when you enter the voting booth? I love the sound of a pledge to be civil or to always put real effort into cooperation and collaboration with those whom you disagree. Maybe the best pledge would be to recognize that a pledge is just a pledge.