I know this great country has a lot of work to do, and I know it isn’t what it once was, or even close to where it needs to be. I do, however, believe that the America is a wonderful country, and that most of us who happen to be born with the luxury of living here, could certainly do more to appreciate the freedom we have.
Sure, the Greeks did it first, but America’s the country that spread democracy to the rest of the globe. We shook loose from our bonds, established a government by the people and for the people, then rode off into the sunset of our great experiment, while much of the world first observed and then shortly followed.
It’s been a couple of hundred years and some change. Let’s take stock.
Few promises ever blossom to their full potential, and although I believe we still have a lot of hard work in front of us, I think the founders who gathered in a room two-hundred and thirty-two years ago to declare their independence and demand their freedom, would be proud of all they built with their minds and ink.
I’m sure that Paris Hilton, McDonalds, and Norbit, all might make them cry, but we also have Monopoly, Dr. Suess, and democracy.
We are still a country where, no matter who you are or who your father might have been, with enough foresight and hard work, you have the freedom to steer your fortune, and become the best version of your possible self.
It’s easy to discuss the things that America could do better. I could post once a day on that topic alone, without stopping for a year.
But not today.
Today, on America’s birthday, all I want to say is:
Happy Birthday, America. I love you.
