I remember where I was... I came to consciousness shortly after the first plane struck, groggy and stunned as I heard my mother's teary voice, "We are under attack." I had come home just a few hours before from working a night shift as a janitor in one of the most peaceful places on earth. Less than 36 hours before I proposed to the beautiful girl who is now my lovely wife. With her, like the rest of you, I spent the next several hours watching horror unfold. As the shock waned, anger welled. I thought: Who, and Why?
In the following days as I walked down the street, in the store, on the college campus, at church, everywhere I trod there was unity, a bond with every person I met. Eyes met, sad smiles exchanged. I felt genuine care for and from others, which I had not experienced before or since, on a universal level. For several weeks every one of us was AMERICAN.
Maybe I was delusional, maybe I put too much faith in humanity. Yet, for a fleeting moment in time I think Dr. King's dream took place. We were "able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."1 The America that I remember then was kind and strong, loving and resolute. There were no (D)s or (R)s or hyphen-Americans, there were no political agendas to be furthered by atrocities.
Then little by little the cracks started to show. Someone started to politicize, another to blame. Then others felt left behind, and suddenly the wheels were off. I watched a nation more unified than I had ever seen in my lifetime turn (or return) over the next several years into a bunch of vicious, backstabbing, selfish, petty, easily offended tribes looking for their pound of flesh. It became more important than ever to label one another, lest someone not be clear on how different we are from THAT person who is unacceptable because they don't think or act like WE do.
At this point if you listen to politicians or media they will tell you if someone doesn't agree with you, they must be an idiot. They can't possibly be a good person. They must be a monster. They think the way they do because they are bigots, and intend to harm you and yours at every step. NEWS FLASH: That isn't true. We are all brothers and sisters, members of the human family. Most people don't intentionally do harm to others. Most people just want to be happy, and unfortunately we don't think enough about the unintended consequences of our actions and words.
Watching the firestorm both literal and figurative unfold today in Libya and Egypt, my heart wept. A day that should bring us together tore us further apart. We allowed the irresponsible and hateful actions of a few to tarnish our humanity.
That brings us to my point. Why am I American? Without a hyphen, without reservation, without caveat. Where does my circle reach out and include rather than exclude?
I am American because I too have a dream, that people can "be judged...by the content of their character."2
I am American because I have friends and family who stand in the line of fire every day, or rest eternally having sacrificed all for others to be free.
I am American because I am free to worship (or not worship) God "according to the dictates of [my] own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."3
I am American because whether I agree with your opinion or not, I am willing to fight for you to voice it.
I am American because I believe in the human spirit. I believe we can be better.
So Americans why don't we set aside our hyphens, our parenthesis, our political parties, and our axes to grind... Let us do something special and once again become a beacon of hope to the world. Let us open up our arms and not by government mandate but from our souls say, "Give me your tired, your poor,your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"4
I am American because I hope for more...
I am American because I hope for more...
