My Unapologetic Love Letter to America: 4th of July Edition
We’re a melting pot of crazy motherf*ckers trying to carve out our piece of prosperity.
America is the greatest country on earth.
Full stop.
The American Dream: that all men are created equal.
The American Promise: that a free market provides for the uninhibited pursuit of happiness.
The American Ideal: that life and liberty are our birthrights.
These are the worthiest of aspirations.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
~ Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776
This is our heritage.
The Declaration of Independence defines the American spirit.
It was the flint spark of American Patriotism.
A king didn’t conscript American colonials and order us into battle; we took our freedom as a militia.
Hard men left their homes and families to forge a better future, enduring pain and suffering on levels we modern Americans couldn’t fathom,
Strong, determined women ran households and businesses, never knowing if their husbands would ever return or what their children’s future would look like if the rebellion were unsuccessful.
Strong Americans Create Easy Times
These men and women set the standard for the cultural norms of freedom, independence, and entrepreneurship that define our great country.
Our prosperity is built upon their sacrifice.
Today, centuries removed from those sacrifices, honor and appreciation for our Founding Fathers have devolved into entitlement, victimhood, and apathy.
We’re forced to endure anti-American sentiment from generations of weak men and women.
We have the gall to look back at the Founding Fathers as racists, murderers, and criminals.
Oh, to live in a time so free and prosperous, you’re allowed to distort your own insecurity and selfishness into hatred for the very system that gave that freedom in the first place.
Weak Americans Create Hard Times
Unfortunately, the prosperity created by the combination of capitalism and Judeo-Christian values has given space for Marxism and authoritarianism to once again take root.
…we have a panic attack when the wifi is spotty.
…we’re offended by words (and even believe words are violence).
…we complain about living in the freest, most inclusive, prosperous nation the world has ever known.
The self-righteous weakness it takes to disrespect America is astounding.
This sentiment was captured in a recent Wall Street Journal study titled, “America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It; Patriotism, religion, and hard work hold less importance.”
In the study, the proportion of respondents who considered patriotism very important decreased from 70 percent in 1998 to 38 percent in 2023.
This drop in patriotism is more likely a derivative of a precipitous decline in core values, such as religion, childrearing, and community involvement, as seen in the charts above.
What have we used to replace the moral values that have guided flourishing human societies for millennia (including our own over the last 200-plus years)?
Victimhood.
Victimhood and its cousins, consumerism, secularism, and narcissism, now reign supreme.
If you’re not getting yours… It’s America’s fault.
Specifically, whatever polar opposite viewpoint your “side” has told you to hate and blame for all your problems.
Do you know what will make you feel better? Blame someone else and buy more stuff…
Oh, you don’t have money? It’s “their” fault. We’ll give you some money so you can buy more stuff…
Instead of understanding, we criticize.
Instead of compromising, we accuse.
Instead of listening, we shout the other side down with louder and louder rhetoric that makes increasingly less sense.
Feeling a little depressed? Blame someone else and buy more stuff…
No meaning in your life because you never started a family? Blame someone else and buy more stuff…
Anxiety because the world is going to overheat and kill everyone? Blame someone else and buy more stuff…
Don’t worry about that debt; we’ll forgive it. You sit on the couch, eat more chips, watch more Netflix, and buy more stuff…
…oh, and if something happens that doesn’t make you feel good, don’t worry, it’s someone else’s fault.
Slowly, little by little, we lose touch with the American Dream, the American Promise, and the American Ideal.
We get fat, lazy, and depressed; all we want is someone to blame for the nagging pain we live with daily.
It must be “Their” fault…
…and when all hope feels lost, we turn on the very institution of America itself.
We curse America.
We denigrate the flag that represents its values and honors its heroes.
We become so hollow inside from years of selfishness and secularism that the promises of socialists begin to make sense.
We stop living in reality.
America and A More Perfect Union
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
~ Constitution of the United States of America, 1787
“We the People” is important, but the brilliance of the opening line to the Constitution is “…to form a more perfect Union…”
“More perfect,” not perfect.
America is not perfect. Far from it…but then perfection was never the goal.
For in the brilliance of our founding fathers was the understanding that America is a set of aspirational ideals that would take centuries (or longer) of work to achieve.
Ideals such as:
Individualism: The idea that each person has the right to make their own decisions and to express their own opinions.
Freedom: The belief in personal, political, and economic liberties and the protection of these rights from governmental interference.
Equality: The ideal that all people are created equal and should have equal opportunities.
Democracy: The United States was founded as a representative democracy (Republic), and the value of democratic governance runs deep in American culture.
Capitalism: The belief that anyone, regardless of their background, can succeed if they work hard. This is often associated with the opportunity for economic advancement and upward mobility, also known as the “American Dream.”
Patriotism: A sense of pride and loyalty to the country and its ideals is a strong value in American culture.
Rule of Law: The principle that the law applies equally to all citizens and that no one is above the law.
Respect for diversity: While there has been and continues to be significant struggle and conflict over this value, the ideal of America as a “melting pot” of different cultures, races, and religions is a key part of its identity.
Self-reliance: Many Americans value the ability to take care of oneself without relying on external assistance. This ties into the value of individualism.
Philanthropy: Americans are known for their charitable giving and willingness to volunteer their time and resources.
Higher Authority: “In God we trust…” is not simply a homage to Jesus or the Christian God; it’s a reminder that we all serve a higher authority bigger than ourselves.
The humility our founding fathers had to write “a more perfect Union” instead of “a perfect Union.”
Because America is highly imperfect.
Slavery was horrific.
Racism still exists.
Elitism and class warfare are predominant.
Corruption is widespread.
Violence is increasingly unchecked.
Socialism survives.
“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free…”
~ Emancipation Proclamation, January 1st, 1863
Yet, we have people willing to fight…willing to die to cure these injustices.
Not by tearing everything down, not by destroying, but by building “a more perfect union.”
The world is full of small-minded, shit people who believe your heritage, economic status, or skin color defines your value.
Post-modern liberalism and its “Brokey” cousin Marxism perpetuate these authoritarian belief systems.
This will likely always be the case. American freedom comes with the price of having to suffer fools.
There are shitty people… narcissistic, selfish, insecure, small-minded people who can not get ahead without pushing others down.
Never trust someone whose first suggestion is to tear everything down.
America is Worth the Fight
America is a country for builders.
It a land full of crazy sons of bitches who create, explore, and question the world in a way most other countries can’t relate to…👇
This is a feature, not a bug.
In America, all men (and women) are created equal. However, they are not guaranteed an equal outcome.
America demands radical responsibility.
It falls to us (you and me) to fight for this country, not with violence or harsh language, but with our actions.
Work hard.
Love.
Be compassionate and understanding.
Listen in earnest.
Give withot the expectation of reciprocation.
Be present.
Get involved in your community.
Live healthy.
Build wealth.
America is advanced citizenship.
It’s not supposed to be easy. It is the difficulty that comes from living with such a diverse and dynamic population that we derive the great prosperity we all enjoy.
The responsibility to perpetuate America’s greatness falls not just on the shoulders of politicians, CEOs, or community leaders…but every citizen.
“Personal excellence is the ultimate rebellion.”
~ Andy Frisella
The Rub
You can also do nothing.
You can put your head in the sand, close the gate to your community, and complain about whatever hardship of the day allows you to signal to your peer group.
This is certainly the easy path. There are so many easy targets.
If you’re looking for a way to mask your self-pity, self-loathing, and self-righteousness, just blame one of the following:
Trump
White people
Billionaires
Corporations
Racism, sexism, or any other “ism.”
God (or specifically Jews and Christians).
The Founding Fathers
Traditional values
I’m sure there are more, but this list will get you the attention you’re looking for…
But then, this is the path of the weak man.
If you’ve made it this far, I’ll assume you do not aspire to be weak.
Here is my challenge to you…
Take one action every day that embodies the dream, promise, and ideals of America.
Not for yourself. This doesn’t work if your actions are self-serving.
Do it for your kids (or future kids).
Do it to honor your parents.
Do it to improve your community.
America will never reach its full potential because of an individual political leader or social movement.
America is at its best when individual citizens take responsibility for their personal agency.
Nowhere on earth is personal agency more celebrated than in America.
If you want to learn more about personal agency, I’d highly recommend the essay from , High Agency In 30 Minutes.
You can hate America. You can blame America for your failure and pain. You can try to tear it down.
But you will fail.
You will fail for all the same reasons you use to blame America, instead of yourself.
I love this country.
I love the values it was built on and what it aspires to become.
I love the people (even the dipshit socialists and Lefties).
We’re a melting pot of crazy motherfuckers trying to carve out our piece of prosperity and I’d have it no other way.
Happy 4th of July.
This is the way.
Hanley
This is epic Hanley, Happy freedom day.
Exercise that freedom or you'll lose that muscle baby.