The American Spirit
Recently I posted a comment on an email list I belong to that drew a strong response from a Canadian woman. In my post I expressed my admiration for the American spirit of independence my father instilled in me growing up. Our family has always believed in defending yourselves and your family when necessary. We also take pride in our freedom of speech. I find it very irritating when people try to apologize for the type of fortitude that helped my family to carve out an existence in the wilds of the Big Bend region of Texas. This same spirit has helped me in overcoming several life crises that could have made an average person give up.
This post drew a long diatribe by the Canadian against Americans who 'try to tell Canadians that the American way of life is the only way'. The funny thing is that my post was a celebration of the American spirit and not a condemnation of any other way of life. Is there a general sense of 'Americanophobia' out there or was it just this one person? I don't pretend to think that others should follow our lead. In fact I don't agree with the current government military policies and I sure don't back them
when it comes to their anti-environmental stance. What I was talking about goes much deeper than government policies. It has to do with the fundamental belief that truth and honor should be the basis of a person's life. Freedom of speech and the right to defend your home are hallmarks of the American spirit. This independent spirit is not dependent upon any government. It is the spirit my dad had while riding the perimeter of the ranch with a .45 on his hip. It is the spirit of a people who will give up their lives to protect others. It is the spirit of independence that sometimes is mistaken for arrogance but is actually the confidence of a people with the strength to conquer adversity. I will never apologize for having this American spirit.
As far as this Canadian lady is concerned, I just knew that we should have invaded Canada when we had the chance!
(Yes, that was a joke! Lighten up, Canadians and others. Live your lives the way you see fit. That is the beautiful thing about the philosophy my dad taught me. Everyone has value and honor until they prove otherwise.)
5 Comments:
I know it's not all Americans but in Canada the majority of American tourists have an attitude of superiority. They come to this country expecting us to live in igloos. I've had several tell me they are "Americans" in a way that indicated I should be awed at the fact. I recently read an article about American tourists and how they often go to other countries expecting the exact same service, standard of living, experience that they have at home and are often extremely loud about voicing their disappointment. Again I know that this isn't indicative of all Americans but as is often the case, one apple can spoil the entire bushel.
I am an American born and raised and moved to Canada when I was 16 years old.
Having lived in both countries, I can honestly say that I understand where you are coming from. Sometimes, all the information we have about a particular subject, or people, or country, is what we hear in the media. Sometime US is painted white with all the trimmings, and sometimes its all black. Living in Canada is definitely easier than living in the US. But the canadians do not feel the pressure the americans do...
I guess I just don't understand why Americans all are labeled as rude and obnoxious because of a handful of idiots. I've met a few German and Canadian tourists here in St. Augustine who treated people around them like garbage. I would never think of the average German or Canadian as being that way because of these experiences. I know that sometimes the worst comes out when a tourist visits another country.
I think we are losing that original American Spirit that you speak of. All the more reason to celebrate and be proud of it. To me, it doesn't mean endorsing stupid government policies in its name, rather, something to remember as we continue on our course.
And, I think a lot of people in many countries really hate us right now due to our actions/policies. We could do with a little less arrogance about the poor decisions that are being made, IMO.
Kudos to your family for making a go in that region--tough land!
You've made excellent points in this post. Unfortunately, I think the picture most of the world gets of us Americans isn't a good one.
In my opinion, the bottom line is that we as individuals can only live our life as best we can & show respect for the lives of others.
As for those who judge us because of our government, that is their shortcoming, not ours.
Thanks for visiting my blog. :)
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