I am going to let you all on a secret. I am going to address the elephant in the room. I am going to let the cat out of the bag. We are not perfect. We as people are not perfect. We as a society or a country are not perfect. So, how can something not perfect create a perfect system? We cannot, but we can try to make one as close to perfect as possible.

Being an American today has a completely different meaning than being an American 200 years ago. America was the superpower. America was the country to look up to and to model after. Now, the world views America as a joke. We are stereotyped as being impatient, greedy pigs - but, are they wrong? Can we really say that our motives are not for self? Or that we care more about each other than when the next iPhone comes out?

It seems like all the countries we have surpassed in the past have now surpassed us. China has become the expert at trading. Singapore is the top for education. Sweden has one of the best healthcare systems. However, we are still hold up on the same issues that plagued us back then like immigration, war, and people’s rights. Our country is the equivalent of Uncle Sam looking through his old yearbook stuck on the glory days and living in the past.

However, these beliefs are not in my system. I still have faith in my country. I believe Americans are still capable of regaining that caliber. I know for a fact there are still good people out there and people that have buried it deep down inside them. My message for all of this is for you to take this as a sign to not to lose hope. Stand up for what you believe, but stay open to other people’s point of views. This world has enough hate, it needs love and compassion. That comes from being kind to one person then that person being kind to another person and it goes on in a never ending cycle. Embrace the difference in each individual person because you will find things that remind you of yourself and differences that will create a lens for you to view the world in another way. Things will get rough but understanding each other will ensure that you are never alone and someone will always have your back.