I’m not a world traveler. Let me make that very clear from the beginning. In fact, in my fifty plus years I’ve only been out of the country a handful of times. This isn’t necessarily by design. It’s not as though I don’t want to travel. Up to this point, other priorities have taken precedence delaying any expensive trips until retirement.
It’s important to have this context because although I have a good understanding of world history and our place within it, my opinion of countries not called the United States is mostly limited to books, movies and daily news. Friends and family who have traveled abroad have also provided perspective on what it’s like to visit Europe, Asia, Australia and a number of other countries.
When all is said and done, I end up drawing the same conclusion. Even with all the strife we deal with on a daily basis, including but not limited to the ever changing price of gas, groceries and the like, we as Americans have it pretty darn good.
Most of the people I talk to who have visited another country come to the same conclusion. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m patriotic to a fault. I’ll defend America and the freedoms we enjoy to anyone who will listen. What I find interesting is when I speak to someone who is either from another country or has visited one recently, there’s little reason for me to defend anything. They agree that even with all our faults, America is an incredibly unique land of opportunity that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
We’ve all known the rich kid who has everything. He drives around in his new luxury car, wears expensive clothes and enjoys a lifestyle as a teenager few of us will attain in our lifetime. This is how the rest of the world views Americans. We have everything and yet, we have no idea how good we have it. We’re the rich teenage boy or girl, clueless of just how lucky we are simply to wake up in this beautiful country of ours.
“Only in America” is a phrase that’s been around for as long as I can remember. You may recall the boxing promoter Don King saying it before, after or during boxing matches he promoted. He’d flash his signature smile and bellow the phrase, signifying his gratitude at the rest of us forking over our hard earned cash to watch one of the boxers he represented ply their trade.
It’s easy to hold America and its leaders both past and present accountable for every mistake, wrong turn or mishap throughout our rich history. Regardless of which party you support, there have been long lasting and often devastating effects on us as citizens. And yet, we’re not only still here, we continue to be a beacon of freedom for the rest of the world. Not accepting this as fact doesn’t make it any less true.
As we approach Memorial Day weekend on the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, it’s a chance for all of us to reflect on our good fortune to be born in a country where over a million men and women have died defending our freedom. It’s also a great time to put aside our differences, open a cocktail and take a bite into a backyard burger amongst friends.
As a Notre Dame fan, it pains me to say it, but perhaps the Harbaugh family slogan sums it up best, “Who has it better than us. Nobody.”
