Simply AMERICA

 

America. A. merica. Ahhh merika.

However you say this word, it has the ring of something magical. I’m only speaking for myself here, but I do believe most of us, and those of the world, think of America as the shining beacon that beckons: Look at me, Be like me. We are good. We are fiercely righteous. We have overcome and are still standing because of our faults. We have prospered. We are strong. Much has been written along these lines, and I understand if others don’t share these sentiments. But I also understand we are the one nation the world looks to for hope, faith, and freedom.

We are what freedom means. 

Other nations see us much like that popular person we longed to be like in high school. The one we wanted to emulate because we thought they had so much. If only we could get close enough to breathe that rarified air. If only some of their luster rubbed off on us, we, too, would be wonderful and great. That’s what we thought. 

But there’s another side.

That person may have had flaws we didn’t see. We don't think about faults because, to us, that person is otherworldly and just beyond our reach. We failed to see that those flaws make that person who they were. The nose may not be perfectly shaped, but it fits the face. The teeth may be slightly crooked, but if straightened, they might alter just a bit of what made them who they were. How they looked mattered, which we accept unconsciously. These physical and/or mental changes might have altered how they held themselves, saw themselves, and behaved in the world around them. We might have seen something we hadn’t seen before, which would make us feel uncomfortable. Unless done for medical reasons, these changes could very well upset our core beliefs in that person.

At this point, trust comes into question.  

Imperfections are good, but striving for perfection is what makes us great. No one is perfect, nor should they be. No nation is perfect, nor should it be. This is what makes America great. Never one to flaunt our assets; they just exist. Never one to throw our weight around; we just assist. Never one to sit back and let things happen to us; we make things happen for us. We make ourselves better, and we, as well as the world, prosper from that effort. This is what we strive for, and in most cases, this is true.

That’s what America used to be, and I think that ideal still lives on.

I’ve heard it said that Americans, and those in Western civilizations, are the only ones in battle who fight with a conscience. They do what they must but live with the pain of what they’ve had to do in combat. It weighs heavy because of the innate religious belief of ‘do unto others as we would have done to ourselves.’

The states that comprise America, are united and somewhat different from other nations. Yet, we are no different than those who want what we want or what we have. Our ideologies may differ, but we are the same in our needs. Maybe we have more, or maybe the grass just looks greener over here than from there. I don’t know. But whatever it is, people still long to be part of what we have, and the desire to be in our land still drives them here, regardless of our faults.  

Our imperfections make us great, not perfect. Our acknowledgments of our failings keep us strong. Our belief that we can do better keeps us courageous. Land of the free. Home of the brave. Love or hate us, I am proud of who we were, who we’ve become, and who we are.

I just pray we keep it that way.

 

A M E R I C A

 

~DaMarie

From my book Looking In from Outside: Poetry & Prose, titled “Simply: AMERICA.”

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