By Executive Director, Dayna Ghirardelli
Every month, I have the privilege of proofreading Pat’s article before it goes to print. Most months, I make a few edits, fix a typo here and there, and then move on to writing my own column. This month was different. By the time I finished reading Pat’s piece, I realized I couldn’t write the article I had planned. Instead, I found myself thinking about something much bigger: what it means to be an American.
As I write this, the FIFA World Cup tournament is being played across the United States. Millions of soccer fans from around the globe have descended on our country. What has been fascinating isn’t just the matches, it’s what the visitors have been saying after they arrive.
Social media has been flooded with posts from fans who admit they expected one thing and experienced something entirely different. Many have commented that the America they were told about simply isn’t the America they’ve found. They’ve talked about the kindness of strangers, the friendliness of people in every city, and the hospitality they’ve encountered everywhere they go. They’ve raved about the food, with Southern barbecue earning an almost legendary reputation among international visitors. They’ve marveled at the size of our country, the diversity of our landscapes, and the generosity of everyday Americans.
Sometimes it takes the eyes of outsiders to remind us of what we have. We spend so much time focusing on what’s wrong that we forget to appreciate what’s right. We are blessed to live in a country where people from every corner of the world still dream of visiting, studying, working, and building a life. While America isn’t perfect, and never has been, it remains a place of remarkable opportunity, innovation, generosity, and freedom.
Somewhere along the way, though, we’ve (in a collective sense) forgotten how fortunate we are.
Politics has become so consuming that it often overshadows everything else. News organizations profit from outrage because outrage keeps people watching. Social media algorithms reward anger because anger keeps people clicking. Every disagreement becomes a crisis. Every election becomes the end of democracy for one side or the other.
We’ve reached a point where many Americans struggle to separate their feelings about a particular president from respect for the office itself. Elections are decided by the people through our constitutional process. In a republic, citizens are free to disagree passionately about policies and leaders. But a healthy democracy also depends on accepting election outcomes, respecting constitutional institutions, and recognizing that fellow Americans can vote differently while still wanting what they believe is best for the country.
That doesn’t mean we stop debating. It doesn’t mean we stop holding leaders accountable. It simply means remembering that our neighbors are not our enemies.
I also wonder if we’ve become a little too comfortable.
Every generation before us worked to make life easier for the next. They endured wars, economic hardship, discrimination, sacrifice, and uncertainty so their children could enjoy greater opportunities than they had. They succeeded beyond what they probably imagined.
But perhaps every gift comes with a challenge.
When struggle disappears, gratitude can disappear with it. Comfort can slowly become entitlement. Rights begin to feel automatic rather than earned and protected. Patriotism starts looking old-fashioned instead of honorable.
Maybe our generation has a different responsibility.
Maybe our task isn’t to make life endlessly easier. Maybe it’s to teach resilience, responsibility, gratitude, and accountability. Maybe it’s okay for our children and grandchildren to experience disappointment, to work hard, to solve difficult problems, and to understand that freedom carries obligations along with privileges.
That’s not cruelty. That’s tough love.
The rest of the world still sees something special in America. They’re reminding us of the hospitality we show, the communities we’ve built, and the ideals that continue to inspire people thousands of miles away.
Perhaps it’s time we looked at our country through their eyes instead of through the lens of cable news or a social media feed.
America has never been defined by perfection. It has always been defined by possibility.
We don’t have to agree on every issue to be grateful for the nation we call home. We don’t have to vote the same way to treat one another with dignity. We don’t have to ignore our problems to celebrate our blessings.
I am grateful for this great nation!
Happy 250th Birthday, America, and God Bless you!
