The Way I See It

As a fan of American History I have come to respect, forgive and love America. As flawed as it has been and in some cases still is, I see its intricate value on the world stage.

Born in the 1950’s, raised in the 1960’s and began my current life in the 1970’s, allowed me to follow my own historical path. In high school I had a nun who taught us American history. She did so with a fair and open mind, showing us every side of America, the good, the bad, the ugly. I started to see a different view of it from the one my father spoke about. Over the years I began to forgive America. It wasn’t an overnight forgiveness, it took me years. I started to think of America as the youngest child in the World. Watching the growth occur without truly realizing all that it meant. I see this country now as a young adult, still making errors, but learning because the diversity of its’ population keeps changing, mending, figuring it out. Just like a person in their 20’s, only America though nearing 300 years, seems quite old, it is but a babe in comparison to the countries around the world who have thousands upon thousands of years behind them.

So I ask myself why don’t Americans know what they changed about America? Why aren’t they capable of remembering why she was created in the first place? From the very beginning, there were mistakes. Just as a parent raising a child sees the child’s mistakes, they allow them to make them and learn from them, before stepping in to guide them back to the original path. Only in today’s world of nano second information with the expansion of technology, it becomes harder and harder to recognize we are creating a country of bullies. Bullies are in every corner of this country and sad part is, most Americans don’t know they are bullies.

This reminds me of the soldiers and sailors I personally knew during the Viet Nam era. Many went across the world to defend their country. Innocent, many of them, knowing only what they read on the news or saw in seedy magazines about the temptations of drugs, free women, a wild, independent existence. No experiences just fantasies. Being assigned to Viet Nam and its border countries opened a world to those fantasies. A very large portion of the military both drafted and enlisted had no clue about the horrific atrocities they would witness nor the escapes their minds would need as another way to survive. The easily obtained drugs and liquor and the free sex, (offered by Asian women for the false promise of escaping to America as their prize), was all available to them for the asking. When this war was ended, some American men and women came home, some stayed in Asia, and some heartbrokenly, never made it back at all. Many of those who began to create their American life brought a new phenomenon with them, realistic nightmares due to PTSD, diseases, drug addictions, alcoholism and debilitating injuries. Still they were the innocent American men and women who were either sent (drafted) or went voluntarily. Can I call this one of America’s greatest mistakes? Yes, I can, but if you ask these men and women today the majority do not regret the reasons for being in that war, they only regret the decisions they made to escape the horrors of war. With this recounting from my history I see wars created by bullies on both sides of the ocean. I see how easy it is to forget why our country was created in the first place. I see why we sadly had to fight a war in order to win a world without bullies. However, some lessons are never learned and in today’s American society I see that more and more are drifting from the reason. That “Magical Mystery Tour” (The Beatles; Lennon-McCartney 1967) is still inside the dreams and minds of “the survivors of wars” and passed along to the generations since that time.

How simple it is to ignore the very reason we have forgotten why America exists in the first place. Unforgiving of mistakes is reason number one. More profit in hate than love is reason number two. Wild, free and independent is reason number three. Allowing the bullies here and around the world to re-dictate our terms in creating America is reason number four.

I am here, writing this as a reminder to those who have forgotten or who choose to ignore the power of America’s original reason for its existence. Number one: DIVERSITY….. accepting all those legally (currently) who wish to bring their culture and religion to this land for sharing that knowledge with Americans. Yet, choosing to follow American laws and values in their public lives to become part of a United belief in freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Number two: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM …America has offered an escape from religious persecution for any reason since day one. All religious sects are welcome to build their places of worship so all those who choose to follow may do so. It is a fundamental value of the American lifestyle. Number three….. LAW and ORDER, and VALUES… laws…. approved by the people through government elected representation to protect all Americans, are enacted, open to reevaluation and amendment, without the influence of Bullies are essential to American life. Order… to follow and keep those laws enforced. Values…. belief that all people have the right to be individuals in their lives. While respecting the laws, they hold their values within themselves, regardless if they are different than anyone else’s. Being an American means to not be bullied by anyone else even their own family members. Being American means to defend those worldwide who are being outwardly bullied without ulterior motives of gain (learned this during my hippie years). Being American means acceptance, tolerance, patience, kindness and not being a bully (bully = forcing others to think what they think and doing their bidding).

America was not created to become this modern day version of it. We have all but forgotten our reason for existing. It’s not too late to jog our memories and remember our duty to the world. The reason why God (Or by any worship name) has blessed us in the past. The evil I see today is but a repeat of the evil I’ve learned through the interpreted facts of the history of the entire world. We must learn from everyone’s mistakes and not be influenced through social media, news for ratings or any other individual or groups internal beliefs. We must learn to re-trust in ourselves, in the American values we know have existed and are hiding inside that magical mystery we have been taught. America is imperfect as it is a country created by fallible humans beings. Yet, it still shines its beacon upon the world population as its’ haven. Why do you think that is? What makes us so different? We have a unique middle class in this country developed, I’m convinced, to keep the balance. The more acceptance and respect for every aspect in it we acquire; the brighter our beacon will shine. Of this I am certain.

And THIS IS THE WAY I SEE IT, here in Jackson.

K