Let’s take a moment on our nation’s birthday to appreciate the unappreciated: the United States of America.
Political polarization has induced amnesia amongst some of us, wiping away what is positively unique about our country and replacing it with nihilistic narratives about our impending doom.
The far-left and far-right portray themselves as modern day Chicken Littles exclaiming that the sky is falling over America.
Their followers either take what we have for granted, believe it’s inherently evil or dismiss it as not worth saving. It’s soul-crushing.
I believe there is a deficit of gratitude that exists in our country and it’s being exploited.
Show some gratitude
We are among the richest, most comfortable people in human history, yet we overlook so many of our blessings.
Some of the most fortunate people in our nation, handed the best of opportunities to excel, instead gravitate to an illogical political ideology that would advocate burning a house down to kill a single mouse.
Others behave like petulant children who constantly blame others for their shortcomings and fawn over a bygone time that never existed.
But this is not most Americans.
Most of us don’t walk around superficially measuring how much privilege complete strangers have over ourselves, and we aren’t afraid to find common ground with people who are different than ourselves.
We, the majority, don’t want to be emotionally governed by candidates and pundits because we intrinsically understand how obsessing over politics ultimately leads to driving a wedge between ourselves and our fellow man and will inevitably create enemies out of loved ones.
Too often, we are told we must hate or fear the other.
We are told we are the victim.
It’s cynicism masquerading as a campaign slogan.
America, though, was built on optimism.
Consider all we as a nation we have done.
Believe in what we can do now.
Keep optimistic spirit
People from all over the world have risked their lives to attain a fraction of what we take for granted.
They have uprooted entire families because being American is worth the risk.
While I support a sane border policy, I think we lose sight of just how incredible that is.
The American dream still exists.
As a child who’s been at times poor and experienced homelessness, my story of finding success despite the hurdles in my childhood is not that rare here.
In countless countries around the world, by contrast, where you’re born on the economic ladder is where you’ll die and upward mobility is stifled by corruption or governmental bureaucracy.
In these nations, persecution isn’t an uncomfortable feeling you momentarily experience because you weren’t catered to, but actual death by the hands of the regime or militants.
America will never be perfect, and anyone who claims it is fooling themselves.
But perfection must not be the enemy of American good.
Problems are to be solved, not an excuse to burn the whole thing down.
Adam B. Coleman is the author of “Black Victim to Black Victor” and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. Follow him on Substack: adambcoleman.substack.com.