Happy 250th birthday, America.
I was 10 years old in 1976 when we celebrated America’s 200th birthday. Here we are 50 years later, and I’m still a proud American. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I’ve never faltered on that, and I’ve never questioned it.
We’re not perfect. We don’t have a perfect system. But I don’t know that any country does. I know I wouldn’t want to trade it.
That’s not to say I don’t love other parts of this great, big, beautiful world. I’d love to visit other places. I’d even love to live somewhere else. Heck, dual citizenship sounds kind of cool. I wouldn’t mind being an Italian citizen, too.
The choices we make. The systems we create. They’re not flawless because humans create them, and humans aren’t perfect. We make mistakes. Sometimes we make really big mistakes. There are no takebacks. We have to live with our decisions. All we can do is get better and make better decisions today.
I believe in America. I believe in the American people. Heck, I believe in all people.
Watching the World Cup has reminded me of that. One of the beautiful things about America is the art and music we’ve created. Hearing an entire stadium full of people from all over the world singing “Livin’ on a Prayer” together gave me goose skin. That’s what makes me proud.
I also saw someone write that if ordinary people were simply left to know one another, we’d probably get along wonderfully. It’s when governments, bureaucracies, politicians, greed, power, control, religion, and intolerance get layered on top that things become more complicated.
Even so, I think we’ve done as well as any place. We’re a multicultural melting pot, and I think we’ve done good. At 250 years old, we’re still a very young country by almost any standard.
People like to remind us that every great civilization eventually falls.
Maybe.
But I’m still rooting for us.
When I think about what makes me proud to be an American, I think about the young men and women who fought for our freedom. I think about the people who came here looking for hope. People who wanted the freedom to worship God without fear of repercussion, imprisonment, or death.
To me, that’s still the American dream.
It’s still why so many people want to come here. It might be harder for some folks than others, no doubt. But it’s still available.
It’s still possible.
Happy birthday, America.
God bless America.
God bless the world.