As a child, I was raised with a strong education about the American government; learning about the various courts, branches and documents which compose the foundation of our country. I learned about past presidents, our founding fathers and major events in history that helped created the country we now live in.
The United States of America.
To some, these words trigger a distaste in their mouth. To those people, I’d urge them to spend time in a third world country for an extended period of time to learn just how good we have it in the states.
When I was younger, I took a particular fascination to our former presidents. I studied their upbringing, term and major events they presided over during their term. Theodore Roosevelt was my favorite – and still is.
There are a lot of things that have caused our nation to receive internal and external scrutiny and criticism. From wars that were fought to periods of time where our society failed itself, the American Dream hasn’t always been a pretty one. In spite of the shortcomings, a majority of our history has been spent with relative freedom enjoyed by our citizens.
Today, there are countries where you will go to jail if you speak out against the government or criticize its elected officials.
Today, there are places in the world where you will be executed for being a homosexual.
Today, there are places where slavery still exists.
Today, there are places where you will suffer persecution, jail time and even execution for practicing your religious beliefs.
Today, there are people who will murder somebody in cold blood if they offend the religion they practice – or draw a cartoon dog of one of its prophets.
I’ve traveled far and wide across the globe and have seen, firsthand, what life is like in other countries. From third world countries where villagers lack running water and sanitation, to the soaring skyscrapers in developed cities, I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum.
I have traveled to places where individuals can get locked up in a dirty prison for 20+ years for having a small amount of drugs. Meanwhile, these drugs are sold legally in beautiful stores in the United States.
America is more than a government. It is an identity – and one that people from all over the world risk their lives to travel here in order to claim the identity for themselves and their future generations.
Each year in America, over $550 billion dollars are donated to nonprofit organizations. America receives over 50% of global immigrants (legal and illegal) and serves as a welcoming arm for those who seek a better life.
America is home to artists, entrepreneurs, families, students and deadbeats alike. All of which enjoy a greater qualify of life than 99% of the rest of the world.
There are those who criticize our country because the founding fathers and many early settlers were slave owners. This fact is undisputed. However, I would ask one simple question to those who think critically of those at the time:
If you were born in that time, would you have owned slaves?
Because we can’t time travel – I would ask another question.
Since you’re born today, would you be an opponent of slavery or somebody that feeds the money machine that drives it?
To create one single Tesla battery, it requires over 2,200lb of cobalt, which requires over 200,000 pounds of earth be removed in order to mine the cobalt. Who mines the cobalt?
Children.
If you own an iPhone or other smartphone, are you ok with the fact that the factories are operated by modern-day teenage slaves, who sleep in crowded dormitories that have suicide nets outside of the windows?
The slavery of the past that many criticize today is still happening all over the world around us, and it is the global obsession with having more that keeps slavery a thriving business around the world.
What does it mean to be an American? It isn’t about being sided one way or the other, politically. Rather, it is being able to enjoy the liberty of having a choice, without fear that you’ll receive a knock from government police in the dark of the night and be taken to a concentration camp because you don’t agree with the government.
America is full of outrage now. People are upset about world events, wars in other countries and even the state of the environment. However, America is the one place in the world where these protestors can freely express themselves – within reason – without fear of violent bloodshed from the forces they are protesting against.
I have been in countries where I’ve seen naked toddlers roaming the streets with no parent in sight, while dogs scavenge the trash piles where the children play. Meanwhile in America, we enjoy pristine playgrounds, central air conditioning, accessible healthy food and cheap gas.
America is a place where people complain about potholes, while ignoring the fact they are driving on paved roads and highways, while most of the world is accustomed to dirt roads and gravel. In some ways, it is our richness that has caused many to go blind.
I consider myself fortunate to live in this great nation, and I believe it is deserving of a great deal of respect – and care. I live less than five minutes from a hospital, police station, fire department and handful of grocery stores. I see on a daily basis what it is that makes America great, and I think more people ought to take time to remember their blessings.
No matter how you see it, America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave, and I am damn proud to be an American.
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