What Being An American Means To Me

Being an American means freedom. Freedom is an innate right which humans have since their birth. Freedom is not something that can be touched, seen, felt or reached. All this gives a vague idea about freedom. Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. But this isn’t totally true, now is it? Freedom is more like being able to choose something over the other, for example. Freedom is just one way to show what being and American means to me. There are many other ways to portray how I feel.

It means being self-reliant and self-sufficient. It means being able to defend yourself, loved ones, and innocents who cannot defend themselves should the need arise. It means being able to agree to disagree with others who may have a differing (yet valid) opinion. It means going out of your way to help others and asking nothing in return, while at the same time not demanding everyone be as "altruistic" as you (for what is forced charity but slavery by a different name? ).

There are so many different ways to describe how being an American makes me feel and what it means to me. America is such a melting pot of diversity (despite what outsiders will tell you) that it's hard to say "This is what you have to do or be to be "American". For me, it's painting, drawing, hiking, hanging out with friends, going on drives with no destination in mind, music, and loving animals (especially goats). I also find that we have a lot of liberties that most other countries don't enjoy such as owning large plots of land, having great national parks, etc. As an American, I can proudly boast that I live in a country whose most important reason for being is justice. This is one of the few nations, and perhaps the first nation among post-Enlightenment nation-states, to create a system of governance and law which is designed to protect an individual. Designed not to protect a group or a potentate, but an individual. Sure we had some rough patches, sure we have some who would chip away at those fundamental rights, but as Americans, we are on a solid foundation of justice and equity. As an American I am free to pursue my happiness. The pursuit of happiness is only possible in a just society. This is done not at expense of others, and only through voluntary exchange of goods, labor, and ideas. In conclusion, being an American honestly just means freedom. Without freedom, we would not have the opportunity to be able to do almost all of the things that I have just spoke about. What being an American means to me is such a diverse and dense topic to talk about. I definitely can’t cover all of the true meaning(s) but I have mentioned the most important parts of what being an American means to me.