For some time now I have been wondering why America seems to be going down a spiral road. Currently, our society seems to be divided and it looks like no one wants to come to middle ground. It’s a shame that one of the countries’ that is supposed to symbolize peace, is in such complicated place. It’s amazing how people will choose to believe something that really does have no reliable contact with reality. We choose to believe something is right even if there are many red flags and warnings surrounding it.
This led me to think, why is the greatest country in the world, the most stuck in denial? I believe America’s problem is not admitting that we do have one. America has this image of itself that really is not what the rest of the world believes. America believes that this is the greatest country that exists to date, but why do we call ourselves the ‘Greatest Country in the World’ if we can’t even agree with each other?
Not too long ago I came across a video on YouTube and it was a channel that did different commentaries on how different parts of the world work. The specific video that I came across was the channel “CUT” where they asked individuals what was the first thought in their heads when they heard the word “America” Most of the answers revolved around the idea that we are people who think about ourselves and we really don’t think about the rest of the world.
Why don't we try and join the rest of the world by adopting some positive and effective ways of thinking? For example, Japan is one of the countries that have the strictest gun laws I’ve ever heard. They made it very difficult for their citizens to be able to purchase a weapon, if they do choose to purchase one, they must have a lot of patience. You must attend classes, take an exam, and pass a shooting range test and pass it with flying colors. On top of that, they do mental health and drug tests to ensure that individuals are in their full senses. The pre-requisite that really threw me for a loop was that they check your criminal record to make sure you are not part of some criminal group and they also check for your relatives and co-workers. It has become widely successful in the country and gun violence dropped to near nonexistence.
America needs to stop thinking of ourselves as just one piece of land – we are all one big puzzle and we should share ideas that could help us improve. It should really concern us that other countries believe we only worry about ourselves and that we are not open-minded. The first step in solving any problem is admitting that we have one. Once we get on the correct path and realize we are much more than just America, other countries will see us in a different light. Currently, it seems that we are going in the right direction. The future citizens the children are building an America that want to be a part of. From here, there is only one way to go, and that is up.
