I hope my Republican & Democrat (& other) friends can rally behind this simple truth. We all love this country and we all want to keep making it better.
As a naturalized citizen, I am very proud of the United States. It has given me a sense of security, safety and also given me hope that life is worth living. Nowhere else in the world is it this easy for an outsider to just show up and integrate as it is in the United States. Americans are some of the friendliest and nicest people I know. Diversity and inclusivity is ingrained in the culture. People born and/or brought up in the US may not appreciate how liberating and freeing it feels to be an American. When I was a young boy in India facing state persecution, it was the United States that gave me hope that there were better people in the world and that I had a chance at a better life.
It is so disheartening to learn that many of my Liberal friends do not feel proud of this country. They think the US is not good enough. I wish I could show them how wrong they are. I wish I could tell them how important it is to recognize how good the United States is, as doing that directly translates to improving the expectations and standards all over the world. It’s very useful to be critical, and we should always strive to improve, but we also have to recognize all the amazing work we are building on. The liberal cynicism often ends up hurting the world.
Is is also equally disheartening to see my Conservative friends rally behind someone who is no longer functioning in the best long term interest of our great country. We are defined by our values, and we have such inspiring values. Our government functions under some basic assumptions of propriety and we have stretched and strained the limits almost to the breaking point. We need to restore accountability, checks and balances, and truthfulness.
This is such a hard year for all of us. All over the world. The United States has an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how to focus on things that really matter. How we can roll up our sleeves and get going. We have already started new businesses at the fastest rate in a decade. Here’s to us working together, helping each other avoid our blind spots, and keep running this inspiring experiment that this great country is!
