They say that the people you surround yourself with are the people who impact you psychologically. They help mold your values and opinions, they provide you comfort when you need it, and they are always there for you. A country works similarly, I'd like to say.
A nation is it's best when the government is working together, collaboratively, to better the lives of the individuals living within its borders. A nation is at it's best when the people are caring for each other and respectful because the United States is a melting pot of different cultures and religions from all corners of the world. A nation is at it's best when the people believe that it is and when patriotism and what the nation stands for correlates with our individual values and mindsets.
America has always been great. This is exactly why for centuries people have been (and are continuing) migrating here for more opportunities and a better life. Why would people come to a country whose people do not believe it is the best? America does not have to be the greatest country in the world, in fact, it is not the greatest. It is great.
America is one of the greatest countries and continues to flourish year after year. Through the wars, the hardships, the terror, America has proven to the world that it cannot be knocked down and it will continue to be a nation that is for the people and run by the people. So why is it that these same people are saying that this country needs to be great again? What does again mean? When did America stop being great? How did America stop being great? And if America stopped being great, for any fragment of time, wouldn't people have noticed? Wouldn't that make people less interested to migrate to this chaotic yet beautifully creative nation?
America has produced Starbucks, McDonald's, Coca Cola, Target. There are hundreds of successful startup companies in California all in proximity to the likes of Apple and Google. There's Hollywood, the Grand Canyon, thousands of insanely good universities with students from all over the world who believe this is one of the best countries to get educated in. Sure we're not a perfect country, we've had our recessions and our hate-crimes. We've dealt with terrorists and dissapointing governments, but at the end of the day this is the United States of America. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. This is the land that thrives on being diverse. This is the land that was founded by immigrants - the Native Americans were here first, remember? Then Christopher Columbus came and well, the rest is history (not all of it is good though).
The point is that, especially in 2016, the notion that America needs to be made great again is ridiculous. This country has never not been great, and if there was a time then it is clearly not meaningful enough to steer people away from coming to this country for long periods of time. This country is known as the 'land of opportunity'. People dream about coming there one day just like we dream about going to Bali, Singapore, Kuwait, and Denmark. While there is a lot that this country can improve upon (women's rights, black lives matter, income equality, health care for everyone), there is so much that this country is giving and providing.
Growing up in one of the 50 states is such a blessing compared to the situations in some parts of the world people the same age as you are facing. Sometimes life is taken for granted and it should not be, because every life is a blessing and every day you get to live is a blessing. similarily, living in this country is a blessing that is taken for granted. If this country is all we have come to known, if we have never ventured outside the border (Canada does not count) than we often feel as though we are confined, restricted, and wish for something more when everything we could want, everything people dream for is between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
So before you go on bashing this country and saying that it's weak and needs to be great again, remember that it is a country full of immigrants. Regardless if your family has lived in this country for centuries, think of how they came here. This country thrives on being diverse and accepting of other cultures, other religions, other peoples. The only time America is not great and needs to be great again is if we were ever in a time where our differences marginalized us instead of bringing us closer. A time where different people of different cultures and religions were told to go home, even though their home is around the block. Racism, injustice, hate crimes, prejudice are the main reasons America is not great. These are not the traits our founding fathers would have condoned, and regardless of whether you identify as republican, democrat, independent, or other, this country is only as great as the people in it and the people who believe in its success.
