It seems that on the eve of the Independence Day of what I consider the greatest country in the world - the country that I deliberately chose as my home already when I was very little - and which eventually did become my home, a very real home, more home than any other home I've known - it seems that this is a good time to tell you exactly what, in my mind, the United States stand for and why I was so deliberate in making it my own.
For those of you who are perhaps new to my blog, I want to remind you that first half of my childhood took place under the communism, while the other half took place during the very painful and hungry transition to market economy, tainted by unthinkable for Americans yet so very traditional for the region Eastern corruption, which still rules what is no longer my home. I've traveled a good deal, I lived in 5 different countries for rather extensive periods of time, both Western and Eastern, and got to know each of those cultures on a very deep and personal level, thanks to the complete absence of language barrier throughout most of my travels. I live in the rural Upper Midwest. So, to me...
America is the land of democracy (don't even start on Bush and the War in Iraq, for if you spent all of your life here YOU DON'T KNOW what the lack of democracy means). That is not to be taken for granted.
America is the land of freedom, and this is not a cliche. When your life and wellbeing are in direct dependence of complying with the ruling regime, freedom is that breath of fresh air that you will never know. Freedom to think, to choose, and to reject, freedom to vote, to decide, finally, freedom to be.
America is the land of security. I am not talking about security from terrorism, because there will always be barbarians around. I am talking about the day to day security of getting out of my house without ever locking anything, the security of knowing that your property and life, will, for the most part, be safe. This is the privilege that you shouldn't take for granted. I imagine if you are in Philadelphia or DC (which doesn't happen here) that perhaps there's always a chance of a hold up, but having criminals be a danger is one thing, and having the entire police system and the government officials to represent danger to life and property is a different thing entirely.
America is the land of order. If you don't have any experience with trying to drive in a third world city, you will never properly appreciate what it's like to drive the clean wide highways with road signs and well-defined lanes. And don't tell me about driving in Chicago - I find driving in Chicago as orderly as anywhere.
America is the land of peace, by now, anyway. Yes, there's war in Iraq and it's a tragedy that Americans are dying there to no particular end, but my neighbors across the ridge will not be shooting rockets. Back home, they could be. In fact, when I was 9 and we had a war, I remember watching the red glowing tracers flying past the windows of our apartment building, and I kept thinking how cool they were and how they reminded me of the fireworks. That's when my mom would pull me away from the window in dread. I am glad my daughter doesn't have to mistake tracers for fireworks. Instead, tomorrow she gets to enjoy actual fireworks, celebrating all of the values I sing in this post.
America is the land of wealth - the land of plenty indeed. I don't want to tell you what's it like to always do your laundry by hand in cold water for the complete lack of hot water and not being able to afford light bulbs or milk or butter or toilet paper. Don't take toilet paper for granted!
America is the land of space - I didn't like the tiny narrow roads and tiny crammed cars of Europe. It's also a country of metaphorical "space" - the space to be and to live and to breathe and to grow. Yes, that, perhaps, is the most important thing of all: in America there's space to grow and to expand.
America is the land of faith - there are 14 churches in my small town of 4000. Americans are, by and large, a God-fearing bunch. To me that's a fundamental virtue.
Finally, America is the land of opportunity (see "space to grow" above) - you don't need to have connections or deep roots or wealth to begin with to become whoever or whatever you wish to become, and the political system will not shut down your enterprise or create impossible obstacles or take 150% away in taxes (I know that 15.3% BITES, but you can still do). And that fundamental right should be cherished every day. That, to me, is the essence of America, my home sweet home.
- was quite an impressive show, albeit short. The neighborhood loved it.
