Farewell America. Someone asked me a while back what the "most American thing I've done" is. What is America? What is American? I had apple cider doughnuts in Vermont; I drove the endless wilderness of the Pacific Northwest for days; I experienced the turning of the seasons, a real American Halloween and Fall, in New England; I've lived in rural Washington and Brooklyn NYC; I went to Trader Joe's and bought way too many snacks which were surprisingly good; I ate too much pizza; I had to purchase exorbitantly high insurance; I bought a poem from a busking poet in NYC; I went to medieval times and renaissance fairs - perhaps the most American thing: garish and blunt and over the top but completely earnest and involving and liberating.
I was in a supermarket in rural Oregon speaking to a man a month back. I said I was happy to be here, in the "Land of the Free", somewhat jokingly. He said, "Well, it sure as hell used to be." What "America" means has come under strain over the last decade. Who is "American" even more so.
America has a culture of publicly signalling allegiance and causes. American flags, pride flags, local election posters, union membership, state flags. It is... foreign to me. Perhaps that is the most American thing: to wear onself on one's bumper stickers.
I saw thousands of protesters marching of all ages and creed demanding an end to blatant corruption and abuse of power. I saw people fighting for a better tomorrow - often harder than I see in my own country. Perhaps that is the most American thing.
In New York, we took the Staten Island Ferry. The Statue of Liberty, which once represented those now fading values, was smaller than I expected. The image in my head was warped by film and TV, and perhaps there is something symbolic in that.
America is many things, maybe every thing. It has room for all things, good and bad. It is deeply human, warts and all, and it is not afraid to wear its humanity on its sleeve.
America is a crossroads at which at all paths meet and all paths diverge. I am not sure I will ever know it fully, but I am lucky to know the part I do.
Hello Future Me
Farewell America. Someone asked me a while back what the "most American thing I've done" is. What is America? What is American? I had apple cider doughnuts in Vermont; I drove the endless wilderness of the Pacific Northwest for days; I experienced the turning of the seasons, a real American Halloween and Fall, in New England; I've lived in rural Washington and Brooklyn NYC; I went to Trader Joe's and bought way too many snacks which were surprisingly good; I ate too much pizza; I had to purchase exorbitantly high insurance; I bought a poem from a busking poet in NYC; I went to medieval times and renaissance fairs - perhaps the most American thing: garish and blunt and over the top but completely earnest and involving and liberating.
I was in a supermarket in rural Oregon speaking to a man a month back. I said I was happy to be here, in the "Land of the Free", somewhat jokingly. He said, "Well, it sure as hell used to be." What "America" means has come under strain over the last decade. Who is "American" even more so.
America has a culture of publicly signalling allegiance and causes. American flags, pride flags, local election posters, union membership, state flags. It is... foreign to me. Perhaps that is the most American thing: to wear onself on one's bumper stickers.
I saw thousands of protesters marching of all ages and creed demanding an end to blatant corruption and abuse of power. I saw people fighting for a better tomorrow - often harder than I see in my own country. Perhaps that is the most American thing.
In New York, we took the Staten Island Ferry. The Statue of Liberty, which once represented those now fading values, was smaller than I expected. The image in my head was warped by film and TV, and perhaps there is something symbolic in that.
America is many things, maybe every thing. It has room for all things, good and bad. It is deeply human, warts and all, and it is not afraid to wear its humanity on its sleeve.
America is a crossroads at which at all paths meet and all paths diverge. I am not sure I will ever know it fully, but I am lucky to know the part I do.
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