amandaheller - God Bless the USA

America. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

In the past few generations, the words "America" and "Patriotism" have taken a rather interesting turn. It no longer shares the same meaning with my grandmother's generation. As the political fervor has shifted into what it looks like today- intolerance of opinions & virute signaling- I started to wonder where we turned from unashamedly loving America to believing we were guilty of something if we did.

I will admit, during my college days that was something I really wresteld with. I remember coming home for Christmas in my first year of college and having (as we often do) a political discussion around the table.

For some background: My family is undoubtedly a republican/conservative/least-amount-of-government-involvement family, should we put a label on it. I grew up respecting the foundation of America, her principles, her freedoms, her history. For good reason to. My grandfather did not graduate high school but rather enrolled in the Navy before marrying my grandmother at the age of 21. After the Navy, he set off to take over my great-grandfather's manufacturing business and built it into a very successful two-tiered, family-owned business that exists still today. Growing up, policies that favored for less regulation on business and the ability to thrive as middle-class Americans were valued and often lead us into the voting cycle of the Republican Party.

Growing up with this as my family's story, I never encountered people who thought the other way. However, college changed that. In college, there is such a strain towards liberal views that it made me start to ask myself questions about why I thought the way I did. The answer of "well my mom..." just wasn't a good enough argument anymore.

(This next part is going to sound dramatic, but so-be-it.)

The ideas that favor socialism behind the banner of "progressive and liberalism" are so beautifully wrapped up in shiny packages that it almost seems hateful to think that anything else is humane.

"Why wouldn't you want free healthcare for all?"

"Why shouldn't the government take care of its people?"

"The richest people in America should pay up."

"You don't want free college? Thats rude."

"I would pay more in taxes to help people. Would you?"

"You don't think we have a responsibility to SAVE THE PLANET???"

The frames are almost so moralistic in appearance, you feel like a jerk if you believe any differently. And I fell into this in college and had a season where I came home and expressed my new ~liberal~ views. It took about 30 seconds for my family to (lovingly, but decidedly so) chew up and spit out my liberal conversational topics. Safe to say, if I wanted to change, I had to do some research first.

That lead me to diving in American History that went beyond that of my high-school classes. Learning the real reason why, in a world with varying governmental structures; America seems to have risen to the top in a relatively short amount of time.

Fast forward to today...

I LOVE America. Quite in contrast with a majority of my generation- I believe America offers the greatest solution for humans where governments are concerned. I got here through a mix of educating myself on the true history of America, the histories of nations with differing governmental structures, and traveling to lots of different countries- most of which do not offer freedoms to the likes of our Constitution.

Once you see the destruction of what governments can do to its people, it will encourage you to protect individual freedoms at all costs. Like Haiti, whose government is so corrupted that it is currently being controlled by government-funded gangs, leading many civilians to fearfully find refuge elsewhere. Or Italy, where in a conversation with my friend, he expressed his desire and pursuit of getting a greencard into the American work-place because it offers "just so many opportunities." Or in Nicaragua, where their communist-government-disguised-as-socialism controls the schooling systems and have subsequently stopped the practice of crtitical-thinking making sure from a young age, you are taught to accept information without asking questions. Like Australia, where the freedom of speech is not embedded into their government, so should you disapprove of the laws being enforced- your opinion and thoughts are not protected institutionally.

Our founding fathers learned from their history. Thats why we have things like freedom of speech, the right for religion to be seperated from restraints of the government, right to a trial by jury, rights of states & its people to set out their own laws, and the right to ammend the constitution- knowing that in an ever-changing world, freedoms & the most vulnerable of society will constantly have to be protected. I love this America, the passion of the rebellion-turned-nation that we enjoy today.

So, I unashamedly love my country. I value and appreciate our history, celebrating the fact that we have crawled our way out of dark times to get to where we are today. I pray for America. That she would truly be a country for a "moral and religious peoples..." and that its people wouldn't lose sight of that.

America is nowhere near perfect, but she is so so good. As one voice in a sea of what seems like a million angry, loud, and fighting voices throughout our nation today; I won't shy away from the lessons I have learned and my unwavering desire to live a country that resembles the morals and principles of the God that I serve.

Comments

Comment created and will be displayed once approved.

God Bless the USA

Related Blogs

Week 1: Heat, Bugs, and Eating Fresh

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

A Full 7 Months

Related Races (3)

Expedition | Route 1 | August 2026

Central America | Semesters | January 2026

Spain | Alumni | June 2026

God's Purpose in Abandonment

AI Generated Content

Get the most talked about stories directly in your inbox