Happy Fourth of July!
Two hundred twenty-eight years ago some guys got together and decided to have themselves a nation-state. I wouldn't exist if they hadn't.
Amidst the chorus of bad news about the United States, we often forget the good. For much of the past twenty-two decades, the word "America" has been a whispered word of hope. It has rung true in the minds of the poor, the oppressed, the beleaguered, and the optimistic across the world, and it is this hope that has given generations of parents their one desire: to see their children live a better life than they did. This dream gave a new life to my ancestors, from an English Puritan fleeing persecution in 1620 to a Chinese peasant escaping civil war in 1936.
Long a word spoken quietly from fear, America is now often the generator of that fear. For many, we are no longer the citadel of freedom that once we were, but rather a fortress of a very different sort. In our own quests to fulfill the dreams of our forefathers, we often forget that we were once those people on distant shores, yearning for the freedom and opportunity that comes with the words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident." We guard jealously the privilege afforded those who brought us into this world and in our squabbling over how to use our position, we are losing what we must guard for the generations to come. America's strength lies not with her military might, her economic heft, or even her much-vaunted freedoms. Rather, these contribute to and derive from her greatest gift to the world: hope. Nations have built empires, traded fortunes, and made laws for millennia, but no place before had ever held the torch of liberty and equality high enough that it could be seen across the world. For generations, men and women wanting a fresh start have sought out distant America, where life begins anew. The Founding Fathers created a place where sins are absolved and where a belief in mankind and justice, coupled with a willingness to earn your way, was sufficient to bask in milk and honey.
Today, we celebrate the birth of our nation, but we also reflect on what it is. In my eyes, it is the greatest nation upon this planet, both because it is a light in an often-dark world and because it is my home. As I sit here in Hong Kong typing this, I miss America, for however much individual things may bother me, I know it is where I belong. The diversity, the freedom, and the protection we take for granted are lacking here - in this highly developed and civilized corner of the world, people still imitate American fashions and devour American culture. And so I will say this: I love America and believe it to be the greatest nation in the world, but I know it is not all it has the potential to be. America can and therefore should be the greatest agent of good this planet has ever seen. We, the people of the United States, must do what we can to share the hope that makes our nation great and, in doing so, make the world freer and fairer.
On this day, I thank those that have worked to make the dream that is America a reality for so many, and I wish with all my heart to see the flame of hope rekindled.
Amidst the chorus of bad news about the United States, we often forget the good. For much of the past twenty-two decades, the word "America" has been a whispered word of hope. It has rung true in the minds of the poor, the oppressed, the beleaguered, and the optimistic across the world, and it is this hope that has given generations of parents their one desire: to see their children live a better life than they did. This dream gave a new life to my ancestors, from an English Puritan fleeing persecution in 1620 to a Chinese peasant escaping civil war in 1936.
Long a word spoken quietly from fear, America is now often the generator of that fear. For many, we are no longer the citadel of freedom that once we were, but rather a fortress of a very different sort. In our own quests to fulfill the dreams of our forefathers, we often forget that we were once those people on distant shores, yearning for the freedom and opportunity that comes with the words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident." We guard jealously the privilege afforded those who brought us into this world and in our squabbling over how to use our position, we are losing what we must guard for the generations to come. America's strength lies not with her military might, her economic heft, or even her much-vaunted freedoms. Rather, these contribute to and derive from her greatest gift to the world: hope. Nations have built empires, traded fortunes, and made laws for millennia, but no place before had ever held the torch of liberty and equality high enough that it could be seen across the world. For generations, men and women wanting a fresh start have sought out distant America, where life begins anew. The Founding Fathers created a place where sins are absolved and where a belief in mankind and justice, coupled with a willingness to earn your way, was sufficient to bask in milk and honey.
Today, we celebrate the birth of our nation, but we also reflect on what it is. In my eyes, it is the greatest nation upon this planet, both because it is a light in an often-dark world and because it is my home. As I sit here in Hong Kong typing this, I miss America, for however much individual things may bother me, I know it is where I belong. The diversity, the freedom, and the protection we take for granted are lacking here - in this highly developed and civilized corner of the world, people still imitate American fashions and devour American culture. And so I will say this: I love America and believe it to be the greatest nation in the world, but I know it is not all it has the potential to be. America can and therefore should be the greatest agent of good this planet has ever seen. We, the people of the United States, must do what we can to share the hope that makes our nation great and, in doing so, make the world freer and fairer.
On this day, I thank those that have worked to make the dream that is America a reality for so many, and I wish with all my heart to see the flame of hope rekindled.
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