My God, It's True!

It is true that this country is indeed what I thought it was.  Lord, God Almighty, I can be proud to be an American!  I truly can look on my waving flag with a sense of pride and dignity, and no longer with cynicism and embarrassment.

Last night was quite the emotional night for me, as it was obviously for many other people in this country.  The reason for this, although details can't be put into words, is that America finally in my lifetime has lived up to its name and reputation.  Up until last night, it was only an empty mission statement that America was the land of opportunity, and some lingering memory that it was a beacon of light in the world.  I feel that it was once a beacon of light, but not in my lifetime and certainly not during my adulthood.  Now parents from all walks of life can finally say without feeling as though they are lying to their children, "Honey, you can be anything that you want to be."

Another reason for my newfound pride, is that I woke up to a different country this morning.  People were more polite, the sun shone brighter, colors in the autumn sky were more vibrant.  I had woken up to America the Ballsy.  America the Pragmatic.  America the Progressive.  America the Principled.  I could go on like this for hours.  The point is that I finally feel at one with my society.  It tend to hold myself to a very high standard, and in turn expect others to reciprocate...unreasonable, yes I know.  But, I guess what I mean is that I don't have to feel like such a freak anymore simply because I have ideals.

And so I come full circle back to my first sentence: it is true that I can feel proud of a country willing to throw out all the rules and do what it truly believes is best for its own well-being.  I guess I didn't trust my country enough to believe that maybe it was idealistic, too.  I've been wrong before, and I hope I continue to be surprised.