America as an Idea

So this will be another politicalesque (yes I know it's not a real word either) post so sorry - I'll try to make my posts more exciting, but I also don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by posting drama on here....

Recently I've been reading the November 2007 issue of The Atlantic which discusses "The American Idea" from various viewpoints written by several famous politicians, writers, philosophers, and professors, along with drawings and photographs representing the idea from famous, contemporary, international artists. This reminded my of Tanderson's class last year and got me to thinking about my own understanding of "The American Idea".

I'm going to start off by saying that I believe in American Exceptionalism (not the philosophy in which America is the world's best country that was used to justify early 20th century imperialism), but the belief that America is a unique place given its geographic separation from the "Old World" and history of immigration and democracy (even if it has not always truly been a real democracy).

So what is America to me? America is at first my birthplace, my home and native land, and though I don't always agree with her actions and policies and though I love traveling to distant shores and I hope one day to live abroad, America will always be my home. But more than that, America represents for me those things which I think that she should stand for: 1. personal freedom; 2. the right to openly question anyone at any time; 3. a democracy based on merit not wealth, status, or might; 4. a place in which others are openly accepted for who they are not what society (if such a unified group could ever be defined) wants them to be; and finally 5. (and I'll probably regret this later since it could be taken in many wrong ways) a beacon of the above virtues for the entire world.

But what has become of my America? The world tears itself apart yet we stand aloof, or when we do intervene it is executed poorly and in the wrong place. All politics and national interests aside, how can we support the regime in Saudi Arabia while condemning Iran? I know that it is too much to expect perfection and strict adherence to the ideal in any facet of life, but honestly I am able to understand why the man in the street of Damascus or Havana or Rangoon appears to hate us; we are hypocrites; we have failed them. America cannot be the world's policeman, but she can be her torchbearer.

Also, our nation is strong because of its history of dissent and dissent can only thrive in heterogeneous societies. We are a nation of immigrants, and yet we now turn those who desperately want to be Americans away from our borders. You say they are illegal, but were my ancestors who so proudly tamed the wilderness of this virginal land any better? They had no passports and no visas; indeed one could say that they were far worse, bringing with them genocide, war, slavery, and racism. But they also brought the idea of liberty, of equality, and of justice. And this idea did not die in the fields of South Carolina as it cannot die today along the fences of Arizona! Welcome the immigrants with open arms, our culture can only be made richer for it. History moves like water; nothing can hold back the waves and drops will become torrents when attempts are made to control them.

And so I say to my fellow Americans, my countrymen, and my schoolmates: this is a dark hour, but there have been many dark hours before it. Do not allow the threat of terrorism to turn us away from our core values, but at the same time be weary of those who try to tell you that our core values are anything but liberty, freedom, justice, and democracy for all. Do not embrace fundamentalism from either side. When the men of Athens all those centuries ago stood up and proclaimed that they were free and equal to all other men, they lit a spark that has waxed and waned throughout Western civilization since that time. That spark has been buried, yes it must be said, behind slavery, racism, intolerance, and oppression, but in every generation there are those few brave souls that seek to liberate that spark and to use it to ignite the world. I do not believe that we shall all dance as brothers and sisters in front of the tree of equality in this generation, but if a few more chains can be broken, if that spark can be used to light a few more candles, if that dream of America can become even closer to a reality (for I do not believe we are just chasing after the green light), then I shall think that my generation has done its part. And so I say on this cold night in early 2008, a presidential election year, a precarious year in which much of contemporary world history hangs in the balance, go forth Americans who agree with me (and even those who don't for as I said dissent is the basis of our freedom) and show me and the world that my hope is not misplaced; show me that "The American Idea" really does live on to inspire, defend, and uplift all of mankind.