Land that I love

land, n. - 7. a realm, sphere, or domain

Maybe I was just tired; it had been an eight- or nine-hour flight.  One carry-on and one suitcase and a smattering of fluorescent lights in the eyes.  I was probably thinking about food.  Still, after seeing London in real life and getting pleasantly accustomed to "Mind the gap", it struck a strange and strangely wonderful chord with me to hear the U.S. airport official greet us with--what-do-you-know!--a not-British accent.  And at that moment, his familiar American voice was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.

But the United States is faces, voices, and principles, not just a particular airport in the world.  As far as I'm concerned, the U.S. could exist anywhere.  As much as I love its natural wonders, I don't look there to see America.  I only really see America in the principles that established her, in her miraculous survival, and in American citizens, those who were born here and those who have come here.  In fact, one of the best ways to understand America is to see it through the eyes of people who have known what it means to live without freedoms of speech, press, and personal beliefs.  Self-evident truths: we call them that, but we can't take them for granted.


Here, you have the liberty to say what you want about the United States, and we have the liberty to read what other people say about the United States.  And yes, in our history, various leaders and citizens have behaved like jerks, or worse, have committed horrific crimes, yet calling themselves Americans.  I don't defend that.  There are many conflicts in our history I consider to be disgraceful and embarrassing, conflicts that are typically glorified to some extent.  I don't glorify them.

But today is not about such conflicts.

Today is about a group of "Founding Fathers" and a piece of paper dated July 4, 1776.  A unanimous declaration.  That, and "States of America," are prominent in the declaration's title.  In an age of monarchical empires and kingdoms all over the world, 56 men were brave enough to call the tiny former-colonies states, and they did it unanimously.  They weren't stupid; they knew what could happen to even the best ideas.  But the Founding Fathers lived in the present and future at the same time.  They had the will to declare independence from one of the greatest superpowers of the time (of all time), and, despite their own faults and errors, they attempted to create a constitution that would keep the essence of America alive for as long as possible.  I believe they succeeded.

We call it "Land that I love", the same land as the "Land of the free".  That is, not only denoted by a place on the world map, but also a place, a "realm" in the minds of the human race.  There never was a nation quite like it before, and the United States has managed to remain unique ever since.  I'm not ashamed to say to anyone that I will live and die as an American citizen, always loyal to (if nothing else) the ideals we strive for and stand for.