October, 2021
A Call to Love my Country
It really amazes me how we think we have it all together in the United States.
It really amazes me how we think we are the center of the world.
It really amazes me how we are made to fear every other country that is not us.
None of it is true.
My biggest epiphany while traveling this time: There are HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF LIVES THAT ARE BEING LIVED THAT ARE NOT IN THE US AND THEY ARE ALL SO BEAUTIFUL.
I don’t know why I thought they didn’t exist before. Conceptually I knew they did, but seeing them, feeling them, hits different.
These “developing countries”, to US nationalists surprise, are developed.
In rural areas developed in spirit, developed in community, developed in family and developed alongside the earth and all her gifts.
And in major cities, they are American as fuck, and participate in western culture better than we do? Exhibit A, In Mexico City (not really pictured cuz I felt like I was in Seattle and there was nothing that new or interesting lol) they have an incredibly CLEAN, and HUGE subway system, and there are metro cars on the subway specifically for women and children only. The Covid care is impeccable. Everyone is masked, and everywhere upon entry people enthusiastically pass out hand sanitizer. Pro whatever or not, it is the level of care for each other that shown through.
I think city planners, politicians, engineers, architects, social workers, farmers/ everyone in the US would benefit greatly from having a paid world travel internship for 6 months. We’d build our country better. The US is brand new in relativity to human history. We think we know everything and have brought our so called knowledge to countries that have had it going on for hundreds of years before us…
We’ve mansplained the world. I spent time with 27 people from all over the world while I was there on a prayer walk for two weeks. People were mostly from England, Holland, France, South Africa, and various South American countries, I was the only person from the US. The whole world is affected by our mansplain. Everyone feels it, and no one likes it.
I want to love my country. And I feel that our history, present socio-economic conditions and current global impact makes it literally impossible.
I want to travel the world and feel proud to be an American. I do not want to cringe at sharing where I am from. I want to love myself fully and completely. I want the US to recognize that their greatest pride,true and integrous nationalism and self love will come from loving and taking care of its people, and the others around them. Our pride is currently self imposed and self serving. What would it look like if we could be proud because we’ve cared for the world? What would it look like if we were proud because we’ve cared for one another? What would it look like if we were proud because we were united? What would it look like if we lived up to our name? What would it look like if We the people lived up to our decloration?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗻, 𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱, — 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁,
laying its foundation on such principles and 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺, as to them shall seem 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.”