What being an American, has always meant to me.

“To Excellence, which means caring more than some think is wise..

Risking more then some think is safe..Dreaming more then some think is sensible..

And working more then most are willing to do.” ~author unknown

What does being an American mean to me? The freedom each and every day to decide for myself what path I shall take to achieve my dreams.  That is at the core I what I believe makes being an American, a blessing and a privilege.

Being an American means I can go to practically any mall and see people of all shapes, sizes, colors and nationalities.  People of various faiths and people of no faith.  People with money and people who have little.  People with as many worldviews as there are people themselves.  I see all these people, Americans, shopping together, joking and laughing.  People gathered at the food court just eating and enjoying the day and doing some people watching.  I do not see racism or hate in the eyes of those I pass by.  I see tolerance and acceptance, unlike what takes place in other countries.

Being an American means I can want what you have and find a way to earn it myself.  It means knowing that tomorrow can be a better day if I chose to make it so.  It means I have a voice and a vote and it matters as much as yours does.  It is knowing the Constitution of the United States protects my God given rights to live free and prosper with limited government intervention.

Being an American has meant believing and worshiping freely in the faith we choose or choosing not to believe at all.  It has meant raising our children with the values and morality that we as parents believe are important.  The freedom to think critically, to question and to challenge that which we believe wrong and unjust without fear of retaliation from the government.

People have crossed vast bodies of water and walked through the hottest deserts in order to have a chance of being and living as an American.  They risk death to get here.  They leave behind loved ones and all they have known to come here.  Why? Because they know that this has always been a Great Nation.  They come here to make a better life, to escape tyrannies, to live as free men.

America I know, has a bittersweet history of noble efforts and shameful actions. We have committed upon each other great sins.  But what does make us a great nation and does set us apart from many other nations is a simple truth.  We are always striving to be better.  Where there is injustice, there are voices screaming to be heard.  There are people willing to march, willing to sacrifice to bring about justice to those who are entitled to it.

Over the next few days, this administration will be working feverishly to undo all we have fought for and earned.   The right to live free is what they work to deny us.  Through this one bill alone, they will control us.  They will choose who is worthy, who deserves justice and who should live.  They will tell us how we will live our lives.  Should they succeed, one day we will indeed be telling our children and their children, what it once meant to be an American.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.