Our radical presidential candidates have brought about a lot of self doubt in Americans. I'm here to tell you that not all hope is lost. Hold your head high. Be grateful to live in the United States of America. Here's why I am.

Freedom.

It is our constitutional right to practice any religion or no religion at all.

The Chinese government is quick to put a stop to any religious freedom that could undermine the government's authority. Can you imagine your pastor being arrested for disturbing public order (behavior that is considered criminal because it goes against social norms)?

We all know how accepting Iran is of religious freedoms.

In North Korea, only government-sponsored religious organizations are allowed to build houses of worship. That sounds promising, right? If you are found carrying a Bible, then you are subject to imprisonment and torture.

All of a sudden those people knocking on your door offering various religious texts doesn't seem so annoying, does it?

We have freedom of expression.

We can make Facebook posts about everything from calling Trump a pig to beheading a president. In many other countries, it's criminal to even print negative news. Do we get a different variation of the news depending on who we're listening to? Absolutely. But at least we can choose to listen to it or go out and discover it ourselves.

In countries like North Korea, Burma, Turkmenistan, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Eritrea, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Syria, and Belarus that is not the case.

Freedom of assembly is a gift.

In China, Laos, and North Korea it is illegal to form a group that opposes the government.

Here we practically celebrate opposing one another politically with our yard signs and conventions.

And last but not least, our right to petition is protected.

If we want to sit during the national anthem, then that is our individual right. If we want to peacefully protest literally anything, then we can.

All of the trouble that we're experiencing is evidence that we're growing. Yes, we have a long ways to go—but at least we can recognize that problems exist. If you are not someone who believes in improving the United States, then I'm not sure why you're here.

I am happy to live in a country that allows me to absorb another person's views, even if they are opposing to my own. I am happy to live in a country where we talk about things like the pay gap between men and women, police brutality, and gun control. Am I happy that problem exists? No. But I am happy that we're talking about it... Freely.