America

minor_ramblings does not mess around. When I asked people to push me outside of my comfort zone and challenge me to blog about topics I don't usually discuss, she asked "What, to you, defines America? Not who's running the government, but the actual nation. What makes America America?"

Wow.

I have been turning the question over and over in my head for days. One of the problems is that I don't think America the actual nation lives up to the standards it has for itself. Its ideals are lofty, but we don't do a very good job of living up to them.

It's funny, because although minor_ramblings specified that I shouldn't talk about who's running the government, I keep thinking about Barack Obama. Part of why he is resonating so strongly with me is that he is telling us that America is what I think it should be. He is talking about hope and community and goodwill, and my heart sings that song. Is he full of shit? Probably, at least in part. But god... if he can make America answer that call, if he can get us all to buy in and live the dream with him, could it stop being a dream?

What makes America America? The power of our dreams. Again and again, through history, we have seen things that seemed impossible, and as a nation said, "We can do this, because we need to." And we have. We are idealists. Sometimes, our idealism is misplaced, and our view is narrow, but when we go out to fix the world, our hearts are in the right place. Things are bad, and we want to make them better. It's sometimes the fumbling medicine of a child, not knowing what to do, but we are earnest and sincere. We want everyone to have an equal chance to rise and to keep what they manage to accumulate. This is mostly selfish: if everyone has an equal chance, so do I. We push protections for the rich because we all believe we can be rich ourselves. It is kind of stupid, but endearing.

I look at America, in a lot of ways, as a child. We don't always know right from wrong, and we're very easily frightened or frustrated. We can throw tantrums or lash out against new siblings out of fear and jealousy. We can't always understand reasoned arguments. We want things that aren't good for us. But we have this overwhelming capacity to be "good", to be sweet and affectionate and loving. I want to see us grow up, but it is going to take time. I just reassure myself: every generation, it feels like we have our ups and downs, but it does seem like overall, things are improving. I make my investments in the future, and I teach my kids as best I can, and I'll try to give them a better country than I had.

When it comes down to it, I guess, that's what America really is to me. Millions and millions of people, doing their best to give their kids a better life than they had. In whatever way they can, and however they define that.