Flawed but Free: Why America Still Stands Apart

America is not perfect.  It never has been, and it never will be.  We are flawed and have been from day one.  Still, it says here, ours is the greatest country in the history of the world.  More of us enjoy more liberty, freedom, and opportunity than has ever been witnessed in recorded history.  Indeed, God has shined His light on our nation.  We had best never forget it.  On this July 4^th, we should celebrate the truth of this with humility and gratitude.

Poll after poll shows patriotism is declining.  Our young people, as a group, seem to feel American exceptionalism is an exercise in self-congratulation, not a reflection on the character and nature of who we are.  That is not just sad.  It is a dishonest reading of history, lacking context and comparison.  The idea that an honest look at our history reveals only how terrible we truly have been is an insult to serious dialogue and reality.

Is it true that the Founding Fathers were all white men, some owning slaves?  Yes, it is.  Does that mean what they did was not heroic and great?  It does not.  In the name of being honest about our history, we portray ourselves as racist, colonizing, sexist people.  That is beyond wrong.  To not be perfect should not equate to being awful.

On the matter of race, arguing the nation was founded on preserving slavery (1619 Project) is a myth, unsupported by any serious review of the actual history.  As often happens, only circular logic allows the notion to be accepted.  It goes like this.  America was established to ensure white men could own slaves.  Failure to agree only proves the point of how racist we are.  Nonsense.

Does this mean we ought not accept the fact that slavery was a terrible stain on our history?  No.  However, it is also true that, even if too slowly, progress has been made to this very day.  In fact, any actual honest review of things would include recognition that civil rights amounted to white Americans surrendering power and control to a higher calling, embracing more fully that God desires us to treat each other with respect, dignity, and equality.  Are we there yet?  Absolutely not.  At the same time, similar to time, progress goes in only one direction.

I recently saw a Facebook post concerning how America had engaged with Europe throughout the years.  Supposedly, the post came from a European who emphasized that we allowed Hitler to exercise power for nearly 10 years without intervention.  

That intervention stuff seems to be pretty tricky.  Should we seem to attempt to impose our way of thinking, we are the ugly Americans.  Where is it written that twice in 30 years, our nation should sacrifice millions of lives to save Europe from itself?  In return, the only land we took was the ground where our heroes who gave their lives are buried.  Pretending that being honest with ourselves would be accepting the blame for the evil certain countries wanted to impose on others on their own continent should be seen as an insult to serious conversation.

Our institutions—academia, media, the world of entertainment, even our government bureaucracy—relentlessly highlight that which has been or is meets the standard of demonstrating there is nothing very special about us.  This self-hatred did not just happen.  It is the product of what we think and say about ourselves.  This has to change.

Sure, make certain we do not whitewash our deficiencies.  At the same time, the honest accounting of our history should highlight that Ronald Reagan (once again) was right.  We are the shining city on the hill.  In his farewell address, he implored parents to take the time to remind their children of the history and sacrifice that produced the greatest country in the history of the world.  Then, and now, this is more than a good idea.

Remember this: We are blessed to live in America.  God did shine His light on us.  We need to never forget that.  What do you think?