Thankful for America

Today, July 4, I am thankful for my country, America.

But first, a disclaimer:

In order to best express my thankfulness for my home country, I think I should first let you know that my goal in this post is to exhibit an attitude that I hope is available to anyone concerning their home nation, no matter what their national identity may be. We live in a time when American patriotism too often seems to have been hijacked by extremists who believe that in order to show love and pride for our nation we must marginalize, dismiss, or even show outright hostility toward those who do not share our same national connection. These extremists (many of whom occupy elected positions) are intent on actually making us weaker, not stronger, as a nation. To tell the other 96% of the planet's citizens that they are second-class (or worse) is not patriotism. It's mean, it's arrogant, it's stupid. It's un-American.

So, on this our Independence Day, my post is not a contribution to the already far-too-numerous "greatest nation on earth" declarations (note to those who insist on making these declarations- you're calling America the winner of a contest that isn't being held). Instead, I hope that my personal thanks for my nation will cause you to consider why you are thankful for your country and citizenship, wherever that may be. And, for those of you who are Americans, I hope these words inspire deeper thankfulness in you, both for those things that are, as well as for those things that can still be. We are a nation of not only great accomplishments, but also great possibilities. Those two facts alone are things for which I am thankful to be an American.

Along with those facts, I am thankful that ours is such a beautiful country. I have been privileged to see much of our nation and in each of those places I am always struck by the beauty we enjoy here. The hills and mountains of east Tennessee, the desert Southwest, the coast of Maine, the Rockies, the giant redwoods of California, the rolling countryside of Wisconsin, these are just a few examples of the beauty we enjoy in America.

In addition to our natural beauty, we are also blessed with cities that fill us with a different, but just as powerful, wonder. The stunning skylines of New York and Chicago, the rich history of Boston,  and the singular setting of San Francisco are just a few examples of the beauty and inspiration our major cities offer us. In addition, smaller, thriving cities such as Austin, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chattanooga show us that the benefits of the city experience are available to many of us who do not live in one of the country's major urban centers.

I am thankful for our musicians, writers, film-makers, actors and actresses, visual artists, architects and designers who continually inspire us, cause us to think, bring us laughter and tears, and show us what is possible when beauty, creativity, and functionality intersect in a real-world, everyday way. One of the continual promises of America is our belief that pretty much anything is possible through vision and then putting in the time to make the vision reality.

I am thankful that in spite of the voices that would call for us to surrender to cynicism, we are still a country willing to celebrate heroes, no matter how large or small the setting in which they perform their acts of heroism. And I am thankful that most Americans know that the biggest heroes among us don't wear jerseys or stand on stages. Their names and faces may not be recognized by millions, but the impact of their lives make us a better nation, a better people.

Although I can name many other reasons I am thankful to be an American, I will close with this one: we have always been and remain an experiment, an experiment based on the hope that something better is possible. Many people today seem afraid of this experimental aspect to our national story, insisting that we return to an idealized past (in their minds) based on their biases and skewed view of our history. While there is much from our past to draw on that can provide some value and guidance, today is the only thing we have in our hands and our tomorrows are shaped by how we today treat this experiment called America. Each of us can determine today that we will be a better citizen, that we will contribute to a better tomorrow by being part of the solution each day. The extremists who want to short-circuit the possibilities of our nation have shown over and over that the only things they bring to the experiment are meanness and stupidity. They do not represent the best of us nor the majority of us. Our freedom is not based on our individual interpretations of what it means to keep and bear arms, but instead our individual and community responsibilities and opportunities to create and give kindness, dignity and hope to each other. These are the kinds of acts that truly make a free people. May you and I add to those better voices among us that, while not the loudest, are the truest, pointing each other to hope, courage and a future that fulfills the promise of our national experiment of freedom.

We are not yet as great a nation as we can be. No nation is. But, I believe that a deeper commitment from each of us to exhibit kindness, civility, and service will make us greater. And this deeper commitment is possible for us each to both make and keep. This is one of the great possibilities of America. It is this possibility for which I am probably the most thankful.