Changing Perspective

Many past Independence Days have found my thoughts very pessimistic. You see, I couldn't think about American freedom without immediately picturing an obese elderly couple wasting their days in front of the TV, with chips and pop always on the couch next to them; when I thought about fireworks I thought about air pollution and dirty rain (these thought processes are probably the only negative result of being a health and nature maniac!). In moderation, its not a bad thing to consider the faults of the standard life, but I'm pretty sure I was obsessing over it a little bit, particularly on holidays.
For the past year I've been training myself to think a bit differently, to look at all this from a more positive angle. Throughout the school year I studied U.S. history in depth as my theme in literature. I read through a course called The History of US which is a very good eleven books explaining the United States' past as far as it is recorded (along with some educated guesses regarding the first people here and their lifestyle). I developed an appreciation for this country which I had never experienced before, and which I hope will continue to grow.
In spite of its many shortcomings, this home country of mine has grown very much since its beginning. I'm so glad that we reached freedom and opened our doors to whoever else wished to participate in it as well. I'm proud that we gained liberty (although I often question our decision to take over Hawaii later on: doesn't that cut against the grain of our foundation? After all, we were built upon freedom and independence from unwanted government--it seems that we could have shown some patience with the desires of another people). I'm excited to be a part of this country that held itself together during the civil war. I'm not devoid of shame though: shame for our mistakes in withholding freedom from those who, by right of their humanity, deserved it as equally as any, and shame for some very foolish decisions we've made in times of war and times of peace. We've acted cruelly in the past and in many ways we have suffered for it. However, as a result of these mistakes and failures, the U.S. has gained some knowledge about the healthy running of a country. We are not there yet, and perhaps we never will, but I can taste and see a tiny bit of the goodness you might find in the ideal community. I'm choosing now to look at the big picture of my country, and in this picture, along with the descending sorrows, I see much growth. Looking back throughout our history I can see a slender, ascending trail that is the progression of positive growth and noble goals reached in the United States. It is for this climbing pathway of hope and wholesome goodness that I will joyfully celebrate today. I will delight in the fireworks.