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Blog Entry 12 of 18 Reflections From the Second Half

Musings of one with half a century (or more) gone. What is really important. What should have been done. What should have been said. Who is saying it.

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America: The Different

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Contributed by: Jeff Boesel on 6/29/2008

The Gazette ran an article a week or so back about a young runner from an African nation who had emigrated to the United States and is training to represent us at the Olympics. This launched in me the desire to put down some thoughts I have had about being an American, especially as we approach our Independence Day.

First, you must know a few facts about me. I grew up, from age 7 to 18, in the Republic of the Philippines. I look back on this as a wonderful experience; one that has shaped much of my view of life. Then, as an adult, I have lived with my family in Guatemalafor nine years, returning to the States seven years ago. As a result I feel that I can see our country from the inside as well as from the outside. Here are some observations.

Our country is different, unique you might say. Most of this uniqueness has come from the wisdom of our founders and their reactions to the norm in Europe in their time. We are one of the only countries in the world, if not the only, that was formed, for better or for worse (depending on how you feel about this) on a Christian worldview. Other countries may have come to this view in time, like England, but our country was actually begun with the idea that the Christian God was creator and gave to people certain things. This identity was so strong in the past that we have been known as the "Christian" nation and many people believed that just being a citizen of the United States made you a Christian. The church has played a big part of where we are today. Most colleges and universities in our country can trace their roots back to the church. Most hospitals find their creation from within the outreach of the church. Our urge to share what we have with others, about 2% or our Gross Domestic Product, - which is more than the rest of the world combined (though we are not the biggest givers per person) - is based in religion.

I think it must be said also that US citizens have done some horrible things in the name of Christianity as well, both outside of our country as well as within it. We have used the belief that we hold the Truth as an entitlement to force our will over others - not a Christian concept at all.

As the African runner pointed out, the United States is still the land of opportunity. Why is that? I think the answer lies in our belief that every person has equal rights. In my travels and study of other cultures, we are in a company of very few others. It plays out in very simple ways. If you are in line at the bank, you believe that the person in front of you has the right to be served first because she got their first. That is also why we are so upset when we are stuck in traffic, in a long line of cars, as we see someone blow by us down the shoulder to then cut in front of us hundreds of yards down the road.

Another way this makes our culture different than others is in the absence of distinct levels in society separating one person from another. Any citizen can run for political office and help lead our country. We have no royalty except for the artificial privilege we give to our heros and idols in the sports, entertainment and business worlds. Though they may seem larger than life, when it all boils down, they have the same rights and privileges as we.

Those of us who have studied U.S. history know that we have not done this well either. We have qualified who those rights apply to. Even our founders did not see these rights applying to everyone - as many of them "owned" slaves. It is a natural thing, at least to my knowledge, to discriminate against people different than you. But as our Constitution has been applied over the last 232 years we have allowed those freedoms to spread to all - or, at least, that is the hope.

President Bush said, as he was being criticized for a decision he was making, that the freedom to do that, question your leaders, was one of the things he loved about America. All you have to do is to look in the Gazette on any given day to know that this is not true for most countries in the world. It has not always been true in our country either, but in my experience we have a freedom to speak out that is unique.

I heard somewhere that several leaders of other countries critical of the United States were interviewed about their opinions about us. The last question asked what country they would choose to live in, if they had the choice. All of them chose the United States! Why? Because nowhere else in the world would offer them the freedom, wealth and opportunity they would experience here.

Are we perfect? Not even close.
Is what we have worth cherishing, protecting and celebrating? Not even a doubt!

Happy Independence Day!!

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