I’m proclaiming my fealty. My allegiance. My friendship. My love. For Chip (my significant other’s nickname) and my country. You see, Chip has taught me so much in the time that we’ve been together. It’s been because of his love and philosophy on life that I’ve come to rediscover my American roots.
If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.
What if tomorrow we woke up and all our things were gone? How would each one of us have handled living in the aftermath of Katrina? How could any red-blooded American in the urban jungle live though a terror attack? Are we really the land of the free and the home of the brave? Or, are we more slaves to materialism and cowards when push comes to shove? Yet, in spite of all these questions, I do thank my lucky stars that I was born in America.
And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.
I haven’t forgotten all the men AND women who died insuring that I’d have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Chip talks about how early Americans cherished their freedom and what little they had. He talks about how tough life was in Armenia after the earthquake. His eyes look lost and sad when he speaks of his family’s repatriation to a suburb of Moscow. That was the Soviet way of dealing with a natural disaster. Whisked away from their homeland, Chip’s family faced several years in Soviet Russia before they were given the opportunity to be welcomed into the bosom of Lady Liberty.
I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.
Article comments
1 - gonzo marx
and thank YOU, Silas... for laying all this out there as a pertinent Reminder for all to read
/golfclap
good to *see* you back at the keyboard
Excelsior?
2 - Eric Olsen
those are some pretty great feelings to have Silas - thanks for sharing them!
3 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Silas,
Very well written. I don't share those feelings for the States anymore - but it's good that someone does who can express those feelings in a rational way.
I suspect that a lot more Americans feel the way you do. I'm sure they would be willing to speak up - if you could get them out of the shopping mall, away from the TV or off the uhhh... computer.
4 - Silas Kain
True, Ruvy. Chip has opened my eyes to the great opportunity I have been blessed with by virtue of my birth in America. Native Americans have a rich history. Many peoples who have come to this land in search of opportunity, freedom and peace brought with them cultures, customs and rich histories which they claim not to forget. The reality is that most of us, once we’ve been here for a while, forget those values that came across the pond. We’re longing for our own identity and place in the world while trying to maintain some kind of connection to our roots. It’s almost as if we are suffering individual personal battles in reconciling the whole damn thing. If we Americans would just step back and remember for a moment what our ancestors sacrificed for us it would be a great start.
I have a Polish heritage which I am proud to heartily proclaim but there are certain Polish values that I feel have no place in our national civil discourse. We’ve developed this attitude that America is ordained by God as the new Promised Land. It’s a silly assumption to believe that a country founded on a foundation of greed, corruption and slavery would be ordained by the Divine. Like it or not, there was a time in our history when slavery was a necessity which is the case with most great civilizations. We evolved. We eradicated slavery. We’ve established that there’s no Divine Right of Kings but a Divine Right for every individual to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
As Leftist as I may be at times, Ruvy, I do honestly believe that extremism, in any form, is a detriment to our sociological evolution. Things are not as black and white as many believe. We’re in a world of hundreds of hues, sharing a small isolated planet in this vast universe. We’re never going to agree on everything as that is not human nature. But I honestly believe that by keeping dialog open there’s a way to achieve reasonable compromise.
5 - Donnie Marler
Good job, Silas!
6 - Silas Kain
Thanks, Donnie, it never ceases to amaze me that no matter how old we get there is so much out there to learn. Life is such a glorious thing and it's too bad that most of us don't stop and take the time to enjoy it.