America
“We can’t all be Washingtons, but we can all be patriots.” Charles F. Browne
Did you ever have to write that essay about what America means to me in school when you were growing up? Here is what I would have written.
I was brought up to believe that I was so lucky to live in a country of great opportunity, where we all can thrive with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I was taught that I lived in the greatest country in the world, filled with a powerful police force and military who risked their lives to protect us.
America was the country of freedom of speech, freedom to educate your children and freedom to be whatever you wanted to be – to make something of yourself. It was the freedom to go to a doctor or dentist to stay healthy, the freedom to practice any religion, to love who we wanted to, to pursue any career that we chose and to make our own decisions.
This is why I have always cherished and respected the land I live in. I know that life in other countries is many times worse than it is here.
America should not be about division or hate, as it has seemed in recent times. America is not perfect, and we have many improvements to make, but we can better ourselves together.
I was always proud to be an American and have voted in every presidential election since I was able to. To me America is a land of freedom, democracy, equal rights and the rule of law. America is a land where the majority rules, but the rights of the minority are honored and protected. America is the leader of the “free world” and an advocate for democracy, human rights and responsible environmental footprints at home and abroad. America stands at the forefront of the fight against tyranny and oppression wherever they may occur. These are the principles and ideals that make America great, and that makes me proud to be an American.
This election season, I encourage every American to think about what America means to them, and then vote to support and uphold those principles and ideals.
Stay safe,
JAZ
Travel Well, Fly Safe 
Hope we can get back to being proud of Our system of democracy Our citizens Our leaders
-Bobbi
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thanks for reading and commenting as we say”from your mouth to God’s ears.”
Would be nice to not hear about the president’s actions for a few weeks like most years before 2016 (and not have said president use twitter). As a pessimist by nature I’m expecting the worst, hoping for the best doesn’t work for me but hopefully if I’m wrong I’ve got some donating to do for the holidays.
thanks for reading and commenting. It has been rollercoaster. I don’t know what to expect.Isn’t everyone just tired of all this? We have a lot more drama ahead of us. Stay strong and safe.
Wonderfully written, and I think everyone should step back and think about such a question. Living overseas has made me more of a patriot than ever. Why? Because I still hold my beliefs about what makes America what it is, and you say it well “we all can thrive with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…” and then I think the most important thing is understanding where we are failing ~ and demanding change in those areas. America isn’t perfect, but we have always strived to come as close to perfect as we can get and to achieve this takes great leadership to bring everyone together. And seriously, this is not too much to ask, should be self-evident, but somehow here we are 🙂
Thanks for reading and commenting. It is easier to hold your beliefs abroad than listen to people you believed to be sane still think that Trump is the better option. IF they dont, they will write in another name rather than vote for Joe. If he wins, as soon as we can travel, I will also be living abroad. We can only hope that more people feel like we do or at least are just as exhausted from the drama, bullying and meanness.
Exactly, politics in any country should not be exhausting ~ and it has become this way in the States. Drama and bullying is becoming part of our culture with this administration…he’s gotta go 😎.
I hope you can still vote here.