Grateful for the United States

I am grateful for the United States, to be an American. I was born in quite certainly the most powerful and rich country in the history of our species. Whether that power and richness can be judged as good or evil does not undermine my fortune; that the place I call home has bestowed more than enough resources and opportunities in my life. I am a citizen of the USA, and I am a beneficiary of its history, institutions, influence, and ideals. I am the heir to all its past rights and wrongs. I am the face of the present. And I am part of the solution for the future. I live in an imperfect country—some would say deeply flawed—but a country doesn’t exist; rather, it’s merely a collection of people and their beliefs and behavior. Thus, I bear and am responsible for its miracles and crimes as much as any other.

I am grateful to celebrate and advocate for its ideals of liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness; that regardless of class, color, or creed, I may pursue life in the way I elect. I have order and safety. I have freedom and choice. I have wealth and power. This country has succeeded for me, a request unasked yet fulfilled. Thank you. I’ll pay it forward.

I am grateful for the United States.