Sometimes it is easy to see America as an old man that once
was a great leader watching all of the young ones prosper and grow as his body
slowly deteriorates. We see the population go out in masses and getting
arrested and tear gassed by the police, it is fiscally in bad shape, the
leaders constantly badger each other and put each other down, and it seems as
though the country is waiting for a miracle to happen to get the unemployment and
housing market back up.
Speaking on America, Umair Haque writes in the Harvard
Business Review:
Consider this thought experiment. If you were really, really, really rich — say, not just part of the routinely opulent 1%, but a card-carrying member of the eye-poppingly decadent .01% — what part of your life would be American? If you had the money, I'd bet you'd drive a German car, wear British shoes and an Italian suit, keep your savings in a Swiss bank, vacation in Koh Samui with shopping expeditions to Cannes, fly Emirates, develop a palate for South African wine, hire a French-trained chef, buy a few dozen Indian and Chinese companies, and pay Dubai-style taxes.
Outside of the United States, a new
generation is debuting — South Korea, China, India, Brazil and more. This
is a good thing. As those countries prosper, hundreds of millions of people
move from misery into decent lives. These countries, like China seem to be doing
so much better than the United States, and is our biggest
creditor holding at least $1.115 trillion in U.S. debt. Are we doing
that bad?
America is still a country where millions would love to
flock. Can we be better? Of course. Do we need great leadership, without a
doubt! There is a lack of hope in the country. The light that we felt when
Obama was running for president has seemed to dim and it is easy to lack the
luster we once felt. However, there is need for a reminder.
We can see how blessed we truly are when we look at what we
do have in this country, not what we are missing. In this country we can
worship freely, we can walk the streets and not be in the middle of a war, we
can start a business; we have endless opportunities, and so much more. We have
freedom. It is very easy to look at the dark side of things, but we must not
keep our eyes shut to the good things we have.
This does not, by any means, say that we should keep our
mouths shut about what needs to be improved. Just don’t forget be grateful. You
may just find yourself happier.
No matter how much America seems to be struggling or how
many view it with its many issues, I am utterly grateful for the opportunity to
live in such a country and call myself a citizen. I am grateful that I can
worship freely, that I can write this freely on a computer bought because of
the freedoms that I have. I am grateful for this country despite its many
faults. I am grateful to be an American.
There is much to be grateful for.
“O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!”
-America the Beautiful
This is such a refreshing post because, as you have mentioned, I feel like everything has revolved around doom and gloom lately. There are so many problems that we are facing in this country right now so I think we often forget to step back and look at how good we have it. There is a reason that many people choose to immigrate to the United States. However, I do think that we can’t afford to be complacent. Like you mentioned, countries such as India and Brazil are rapidly moving up in the world. We need to continue to be innovators and lead the way with finding alternative fuels and solutions to other problems that the world is going to face in the near future.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Thanks for reminding us of how great a country America is. You mentioned freedom as a key reason, and given that yesterday was Veteran’s Day, this reminder was apropos. Veterans are the first line defenders of our freedom. What is appalling though is that our vets, who so bravely defend our First Amendment rights face discrimination in our country. In Eric Shisenki’s article in the Wall Street, Why Veterans Make Good Employees, he states that, "there was an air of disdain for the military and for those who had served in Vietnam--nothing confrontational, nothing openly disrespectful, but studied indifference." This attitude is shameful in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteDespite the fact that the United States in entrenched in national debt, investors still choose to use American currency over anything else. A faith in the American dollar is reflective of a faith in the American government. Despite the fact that it's easy to call attention to all of the United States' flaws, people still flock here from all over the world to take part in something that we sometimes forget to appreciate: freedom. It saddens me to think that Americans sometimes take our freedom for granted, but your post is inspiring and makes me proud to be an American!
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