America the Beautiful

Did you know that Gladys Kravitz has been blogging for an entire year now?! Gosh, time sure does fly when you’re fighting a mega-resort casino from being built in your community. Well, as I was reading her latest, she linked to an earlier blog of hers, Gladys Kravitz Goes to Raynham, and it reminded me of a question she posed while commenting on the highlights of her evening listening to the Chairman of the Casino Resort Advisory Committee (CRAC) try to assure the Raynham Board of Selectmen that Middleboro has everything under control, to which Selectman McKinnon replied:

“Son, I guess I just don’t understand why your town would…give up it’s own control, and chose to depend on the Tribe’s benevolence.”

Gladys goes on to pose the question that I have been pondering about since the day she posted this blog:

But it’s clear that this is one of those infinitesimally few things that Brian has no answer for. And I don’t have any profound wisdom to impart to help him understand. I mean, how do you explain America? -- (courtesy of Gladys Kravits – thank you Gladys!)

When she asked this, I couldn’t help but wonder….how do you explain America? Seriously, how does one explain a Country’s soul…it’s spirit and how the concept of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is the foundation on which this Country stands?

In the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers, ..”held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” So is this how you describe America?

Many say that America is all about the American Dream…a term first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America written in 1931. In his book, he says, "The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."

Many people seem to feel that the American Dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity because the more stuff you have, the happier you will be. . Yet others live the American Dream with less focus on financial gain and more emphasis on living a simple, fulfilling life that does not include living in the vicinity of a mega-casino resort on sovereign land, you know....a seperate country, like England.

Our Country could also be explained by our Flag, and what it stands for:

The 13 stripes in the American flag represent the original 13 colonies . The 50 stars represent the States and a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.

Red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters. White stripes stand for liberty and equality for all. blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.

But what does that mean to me, to you, to anyone….heck, I couldn’t even explain America to myself when I read the question, at least not without taking the time to really think about it. I really find this to be a fundamentally profound question and it really got me thinking a lot about it off and on for the past several weeks. America means so many things to so many people….how does one explain that?

So, in the spirit of Independence Day, I have decided to go out and find the answer to Gladys’ super important question, but wanted to keep it simple, and honest, and true. So I asked some friends and family one simple question….

If you had to describe America in three words, what would those words be?

Here is some feedback to my question. No editing....only the freedom of my family and friends expressing their right to free speech...ain't this an awesome country?

Home, Family, Liberty

GENEROUS CARING GREAT

LAND OF HOPE.

Beware of Bush

Corrupt government officials

No educational investment

Arrogant political leaders

Too much violence

Life, Liberty, Happiness

Freedom to Blog!

Freedom, Rights, Independence

beautiful,free and home

Frustrated, Worried And, I am very, very confused that the “ US ” could be in such trouble/need from more than one area.

Freedom to be

opportunity to excell

Freedom, choice, liberty

But by far, the one answer that left me speechless came from no other than my blogger friend herself, Gladys Kravitz:

“Never Give Up”

...and to me....the three words America the Beautiful says it all.




So, how would you describe America in three words?

“Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." - Calvin Coolidge, 29th President of the United States of America

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill,that we shall pay any price,bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th president of the United States of America


- be the change you want to see in the world -