I couldn't get it out of my mind... So I listened to it a couple of times and it made me very... happy.
After 9-11 I was the most patriotic and proud American there ever was. And then I lost that somewhere. It had come back in glimpses every now and then, but there were times it was definitely more of an annoyance to be from the U.S.
I think part of it had to do with my travels... And going overseas and seeing other people from the U.S. who were either ignorant or obnoxious or uncultured or disrespectful or a bad combination of all of the above.
It was hearing the thoughts of locals that also turned me off ... And the biased media that gets blasted around the world about us. I kid you not-one time in New Zealand I was listening to the radio and the news story was about a girl from the U.S. going to court for throwing a furby at her boyfriend. WHY is that making news in New Zealand ? Stuff like that just makes me feel stupid. Or when the U.S. has a reputation of being lazy and fat or liking McDonald's too much.
But I woke up this morning and couldn't get the song out of my head. And listening to it made me happy and proud. And I thought about all the fear and anxiety in preparation for both my Asia and Africa trips and I remembered how fortunate we are to be living here. We don't have to worry about the same kinds of things going on in other parts of the world. I'm not saying the U.S. is the best country in the world... We all have our issues. But the U.S. is a pretty darn good country in my opinion.
I might still claim to be Canadian from time to time (especially when the big American tours come around with their big American flags)... But I am proud of my country. And I love my country. I don't say it enough, but I do. (And I love my other countries too!)
#oneweekcountdown
No comments:
Post a Comment