The land of the free
I was watching some clips of the Daily Show from their website, and I was blown away by Desmond Tutu. In an interview with Jon Stewart, he spoke about how the world sees America:
They like Americans, as people; but they don't like what you are doing... ...people love you.
They are sad, and I am sad, that you could in fact be doing the kind of things you are doing. Guantanamo bay. Going into a war that most people said was immoral, illegal.
Most people believe that you're really lovely people; and they can't understand how you could let things of this kind go on.
You are wonderful people; you are wonderful, generous, caring people. I really mean that. And one hopes, I mean, that you would export not bombs; [that] you would export your compassion and your generosity.
I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to be an American when I grew up. America was the land of Hollywood, of astronauts and test-pilots, and of great cities of steel and glass that grasped at the sky. When I became older, I discovered their great traditions of liberty, justice and freedom; I fell in love with the country all over again.
America, what has become of you?
I know this post is late, and may well never get read; but I'm moved to respond. These are personal beliefs, not necessarily national ones.
I'd say there are two forces at work to make America the kind of place it is today:
The first, not surprisingly, is tied directly to the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Imagine a lion in a cage in a zoo. Powerful yet restrained. Thousands of onlookers marvel at the rippling muscles, the sharp teeth, the massive paws -- which, applied to their purposed task, yield frightening results. The lion watches blithely as zoo patrons file past the bars. Then, suddenly, a member of the crowd antagonizes the lion so visciously (what kind of antagonism can you imagine? ... place that event here) that he instinctively, out of a sense of self-preservation, lashes out. And naturally everyone is somehow shocked that the cage was never locked in the first place -- it was the lion's nature to remain, to be admired for his strength and his power. No one stopped to think that perhaps his restraint was to be admired as well. All-in-all though, it's a little late now to be surprised that the lion is out of its cage. Now he's ripping people apart and they're all horrified.
The second is simply selfishness. People, in their hearts, all desire to be part of a story. We each have been looking for the story we belong in. "Why am I here?," and all that. Instead of locking onto the truth, which can be found in God's Word, we've become poisoned by the popular culture of the day. The culture that says, "If it feels good, do it," rather than, "If your neighbors will be blessed by it, do it." We've traded a moral imperative for a self-centered one. It's a little more complicated than that, I'll settle, but that, to me, is the heart of it.
So, that said, there are many Americans who wish our country had taken a different tack at points along the way -- some are working hard to repair our international standing, to help America to become a better world neighbor. A less selfish one, at least. I hope it works.
In the meantime, come visit, enjoy those you meet, enjoy our food, our scenery, our hospitality such as it is. And don't forget that the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.
With respect,
Jeremy
Jeremy:
I know this post is late, and may well never get read; but I'm moved to respond. These are personal beliefs, not necessarily national ones.
I'd say there are two forces at work to make America the kind of place it is today:
The first, not surprisingly, is tied directly to the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Imagine a lion in a cage in a zoo. Powerful yet restrained. Thousands of onlookers marvel at the rippling muscles, the sharp teeth, the massive paws -- which, applied to their purposed task, yield frightening results. The lion watches blithely as zoo patrons file past the bars. Then, suddenly, a member of the crowd antagonizes the lion so visciously (what kind of antagonism can you imagine? ... place that event here) that he instinctively, out of a sense of self-preservation, lashes out. And naturally everyone is somehow shocked that the cage was never locked in the first place -- it was the lion's nature to remain, to be admired for his strength and his power. No one stopped to think that perhaps his restraint was to be admired as well. All-in-all though, it's a little late now to be surprised that the lion is out of its cage. Now he's ripping people apart and they're all horrified.
The second is simply selfishness. People, in their hearts, all desire to be part of a story. We each have been looking for the story we belong in. "Why am I here?," and all that. Instead of locking onto the truth, which can be found in God's Word, we've become poisoned by the popular culture of the day. The culture that says, "If it feels good, do it," rather than, "If your neighbors will be blessed by it, do it." We've traded a moral imperative for a self-centered one. It's a little more complicated than that, I'll settle, but that, to me, is the heart of it.
So, that said, there are many Americans who wish our country had taken a different tack at points along the way -- some are working hard to repair our international standing, to help America to become a better world neighbor. A less selfish one, at least. I hope it works.
In the meantime, come visit, enjoy those you meet, enjoy our food, our scenery, our hospitality such as it is. And don't forget that the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.
With respect,
Jeremy