I’ve always appreciated the abundancy of the United States of America. After all, I grew up in arguably the most powerful nation in the world. A nation with a military that is the unquestioned leader. And I appreciate the men and women that sacrificed their lives throughout the years for the freedom of this nation. And the armed service members that continue to serve their nation both domestically and overseas.
In grade school, I was taught to appreciate the vast freedoms that we have in the United States. The ability to say and express our feelings and opinions however we want. The ability to pursue our dreams and ideals unabashedly. I think all of those ideals are admirable and should be taught to children at a young age. Because those freedoms should not be taken for granted.
And America is considered the leader of the free world. However, I think that this concept of freedom can be a little bit overblown. Technically, we cannot do exactly everything that we want to do. We can’t say everything that we want to say. We are still subject to rules and regulations that we need to follow. We are still subject to the unwritten rules of social norms.
And not everyone is going to say or reveal everything they want to say to complete strangers. There is subtle context within every interaction and relationship that we have. We are not going to say certain stuff to certain people. And there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s just how the cookie crumbles.
For me, I still have plenty of appreciation for growing up in the USA. I do realize that I have resources that kids from other developing nations can only dream of. I have a home. I have running water. I have electricity. I am not starving on the streets. I am living a relatively sufficient life – even though I’m not a billionaire like Elon Musk.
I think sometimes we just need to appreciate when enough is enough. Sometimes, it’s okay to not ask for too much and just be grateful for what you have in the moment. And freedom is something that we have for the most part in this nation. Compared with some other countries, we do have the ability to critique and express disapproval. And I think that is very important for innovation, growth, and general well-being. No corporation or government is perfect. And it is up to whistleblowers or the general public to reveal shortcomings, so that improvement can be handled from within.
So, freedom is definitely something that is present within the USA. With all its flaws and vulnerabilities, the USA still brings a lot to the table in terms of human rights. Some people may not agree with that statement. But I think in a sense, it is still a nation that we should be grateful to be living in. As it continues to provide opportunities for those trying to make it in a safe first world nation.
The ideal is there and continues to be something admirable to strive for. But like everything, just take it with a grain of salt. Not everything is perfect here in the USA. There is still income inequality. There is still disease. There is still corporate greed and mismanagement. And there is economic vulnerability, particularly for the low-income citizens.
I understand that freedom should be appreciated. And that this is indeed a nation where anyone can achieve great things. I personally lived it with my small family business, as we continue to get our foot in the door of large multinational corporations within the USA. Whether we are able to commercially sell to them is another story. But at least a small mom and pop business like us can still get an opportunity in some form or manner with these companies. And that is something to be appreciated as well.
However, I do realize that there are many people that are not living in this reality. To my understanding, the low-income citizens who need to work multiple jobs to support their families don’t see the USA as a land of opportunity. And that is a shame, but it is also the reality that they are living in.
The obvious question is how to alleviate their burden. And how to make the USA a more equitable place to live for all people. And all walks of life. And how to alleviate burdens for the low income and give them similar opportunities to succeed, make more money, and live a relatively peaceful life for themselves and their families. I think these questions should all be pondered.
Because right now, it seems like this ideal of freedom is only applicable to certain groups of people. Particularly the middle and the upper tier of society within this nation. Not everyone is given the same resources and access to opportunity. That’s just how life is. And it will be a continuous struggle for improvement. And there’s no quick fix for this.
But I think it just comes to the government’s ability to provide more funding to these struggling groups, so that they can have greater access to opportunity and not be burdened financially or mentally. Everyone has a different definition of success. And people will still get left behind unfortunately. But it is up to us to figure out how to minimize the damage and provide greater opportunities for everyone in this nation – one step at a time.
The important thing is to continue this discussion and figure out ways to close the gap.
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