At this year’s Republican and Democratic national conventions, “God bless America” was a common and familiar refrain.

Right or left it doesn’t matter; these politicians want to let us know that they love America.

Yet these words ring hollow. Those three words seemed practiced, rehearsed; just words read off a teleprompter.

Each talking head making sure they give each word the gravitas that they deserve.

They make sure that the space between the words “god” and “bless” are sufficient, that they give the word “America” the proper punch, like a professional wrestler pumping up the crowd.

When they tell their stories of the American dream, they make sure it hits all the right notes; that the rags-to-riches story is told in just the right way to make the other side look bad.

It can all make the ideas of patriotism and pride for your country seems cliché.

An idea meant to manipulate your emotions, a cold and calculated grab at votes.

Watching the national conventions made me feel that way.

Seeing and hearing politician after politician make the same empty allusions and tell the same empty stories made love for your country seem fake, an idea expressed out of habit and obligation, not from any real emotion in your heart.

I had the pleasure to take photos of 2012 London Olympics gold-medalist wrestler, Jake Varner, at a Bakersfield High School football game and in that process I saw him pledging the flag.

Then suddenly I could feel it. In that moment patriotism didn’t seem like empty lip service.

You could see in his eyes that in his journey of the past months representing America, he learned something about true patriotism. He was looking at the flag with a determination, a focus that showed he knew America and the makeup of it.

You could tell that in that moment he was not thinking of votes, or making the best speech, but of his love of America, of the compassion of being proud of where you came from.

That is how you know if someone truly believes in something. You can feel it in your gut.

You can feel it all in that moment. You don’t have to  have anyone tell you it’s real.

Romney and Obama could speak for three hours about how much they love America, but all of their 40-minute speeches seem trivial next to Varner’s simple pledge.

After seeing his pledge, I could believe in America again. I remembered why I have always considered myself proud to be an American.

I share this story to remind people that America is a place to believe in.

That no matter how much this political season will make it seem false, with its constant bickering and empty slogans, love for America can be true. Sometimes you just have to look deeper to find it.