A country once dubbed “the land of opportunity” and “home of the free” veers away from the populace that made her worthwhile. The land of new beginnings and the living embodiment of an enlightened superpower; this motherland no longer finds herself welcoming the children she “willingly” embraced. As millions crossed her border onto Ellis Island, they read the sonnet New Colossus written upon Lady Liberty:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
– Emma Lazarus
Try to imagine this scene over the blistering cries for, “build that wall.” My home, once called the melting pot of cultures, forgets her roots. These roots, supposedly reaching far beneath the soil, find themselves hacked off at the stump.
In a time where difference is either embraced or scorned, the recent atrocities from Standing Rock to unwavering racist sentiment indicate a shift towards division; the concept of unity left in the dust. Just as this identity forged in misunderstanding finds itself awakened, those who built this country from the ground up seek to abandon it. Parallel to the rise of discontent follows the loss of hope. Without hope, how does one absentmindedly give America the title of "great."
The act of typing the word “great” leaves an unsettled feeling in the pit of my own stomach; a feeling I contrive relates to lulling oneself to believe a fantasy. The depths of distrust permeating the populace demonstrate the cracks in our democratically elected dictatorship. No longer a top contender in education, no longer a beacon of economic development, no longer espousing the “American dream.” These memories pertain to a bygone time; a past many refuse to let go of.
The greatest key to success is a nation’s ability to adapt. Time marches onward whether prepared or at ease in one’s own present circumstance. The art of moving forward yields a God-like strength only seen in history’s greatest minds and leaders, yet this basic concept eludes us. America refuses to acknowledge that the rest of the western world has caught up to the “catch phrase” of freedom and opportunity. The rest of the world has left us behind in the forms of our own crippling debt and denial.
Just like many of you, I trace my roots not to the Mayflower, but to countries with little involvement in American history. Just like many of you, I consider myself a diehard patriot and love my country regardless of its faults. However, patriotism and blind nationalism do not find themselves equals in the grandest of schemes. Because I love my country so, I can wholeheartedly say: America, you are not so great anymore.
