The Great American Experiment
I promised that I would address the things that makes America great so now I would like to turn to what I think makes America great. There are things about this country that are great on a metaphysical level and things that are great on a more personal and subjective level. As St. Thomas would say, those metaphysical goods are “common goods;” things that are infinitely shareable. Examples of these common goods would be love, justice, truth, life, virtue, and liberty. These are things that we can share among ourselves and they never run out. The world will never be short of justice, unless we make it so ourselves.
The first things that are bigger and broader “greats” here in America is opportunity. I would argue that no other country on Earth, or in the history of mankind has offered the same opportunity to become whatever you like. No other nation has empowered the individual to reach for unthinkable heights. That’s a huge blessing! I feel that people in this nation tend to think about how great other countries are and how amazing the European system of doing this is, but they fail to recognize that European nations don’t offer the same opportunity, especially in the field of entrepreneurship because of government encroachment.
I should take this opportunity to apologize for the length of this entry. It might take us a while to get through these American “greats” so bear with me. The next “great” about our country is the ability of the individual to own property. Again, this is not a blessing that every nation enjoys. In China, there is a whole slew of laws and regulations that come with owning property. The property has to “fall within certain regulations” and if it does not, the government is free to tell you what to do with you land or to simply take it from you.
Another “great” about America is our love of immigrants. I know that this doesn’t seem like a “great” thing right now given all of the questions about certain groups entering the U.S., but no other country on earth has the quality of living that immigrants seek. Why do immigrants want to come here so badly? Why do our border’s constantly see a flow of people? I was recently watching a debate between Mr. Dinesh D’Souza and Mr. Bill Ayers and D’Souza made this point: “…immigrants literally vote with the feet, they cast a ballot for another culture over their own. It is the highest form of flattery…”
For me there are several other “greats” that represent the metaphysical goodness or the broader idea of greatness in the American project. Now to simply list a few personal preferences: guns, the internet, roads, church, and stores where I can purchase anything that I would like.
“These are a few of my favorite things” about our great nation. I hope that you have a list of your own. In the next article, we’ll discuss the dangers of total freedom which is something our society holds to be very dear and is something that I believe both the Right and Left can get wrong. I’ll catch you in the next one. Thanks for your time.
God bless.
