On a recent morning in Munich, Germany, an American hailed a cab. The driver, considerably younger than his mid-60s passenger, immediately recognized that his fare was from the States. Exuding a pride that broke out into a huge smile, he exclaimed, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” showing his keen awareness of JFK’s famous words in Berlin in 1962.
Such stories drive home the point that, despite our problems, America still means so incredibly much to the rest of the world. Truth is, if not for the incalculable blood and treasure the United States expended defending freedom, much of Europe and Asia would still be in rubble, its citizens living under tyranny.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in our issues, falling victim to pervasive negativity while forgetting our illustrious past and losing sight of all that we do right. This Thanksgiving, rather than selling ourselves short, let’s give thanks for the blessing of living in the most benevolent nation the world has ever known.
America’s past is certainly not without its faults, from slavery to internment camps, and from mistreatment of Native Americans to supporting brutal foreign leaders. But through it all, America is a nation that has uniquely conquered so many of its demons, expelling them in an attempt to rectify mistakes, to make things better — to make things right.
That liberalism (small “l”) has not gone unnoticed around the world. America, for virtually its entire existence, has been a beacon of hope for millions who crave freedom, tolerance and a fresh start.
When the Irish suffered during the potato famine, they didn’t head east to the much-closer Europe, but to the distant shores of America. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, countless Southeast Asians, including many who fought against us, sought refuge in the safe confines of America. Millions who flee persecution and death from tyrants risk life and limb to make America their home. And why? Because America offers even the poorest and most downtrodden the opportunity to carve out a life not just of existence, but one whose standard of living is more than most would ever dare dream.
Like JFK, Ronald Reagan re-instilled faith in America, both at home and abroad, when he spoke in glowing terms of our nation as the “shining city on a hill,” whose potential and promise were limited only by one’s imagination. How right he was.
Just as President Kennedy intimately connected with a Europe in the middle of the Cold War, reassuring free peoples and inspiring those trapped behind the wall, so did Reagan when he bonded with millions by challenging General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”
And that is exactly what happened. Because of America’s resolve, the wall of oppression fell, freeing more people from authoritarian rule than at any point in world history.
America remains the rock star of the ages, with the world wanting our blue jeans and Coca-Cola. Even more, they want to emulate us and everything we stand for; they want to be “American” in every sense.
Upon their nation’s surrender in World War II, many Japanese soldiers feared what their American captors might do to them. And the Americans did plenty.
They accorded the exact same medical treatment to the Japanese as to their own soldiers. They openly shared cigarettes with their prisoners — something that Japan prohibited when the tables had been turned. They fed the Japanese the same food that the Americans received. In short, despite many wartime atrocities committed by the Japanese against American POWs, America treated its vanquished foe with unprecedented restraint.
Most telling, during the surrender ceremony on the battleship Missouri, the Japanese officers were absolutely mystified as to how much dignity the Americans allowed them to maintain — certainly not expected since the United States was under no obligation, having achieved total victory.
It is exactly that kind of benevolence — doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do, with no strings attached — that still carries the day and earns the admiration of the world.
Throughout most of history, victors enslaved their conquered peoples and laid waste to their lands. Yet America has always done the opposite, pouring untold billions into Japan, Germany, Italy, and later, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Unlike most countries, America, for the most part, has left the nations with which it warred and occupied better off than when it found them.
And when famines and disasters strike, it is always America that is first in, leading the way. While we’re still waiting for other nations to send aid for Katrina and Sandy, the United States has sent people, supplies and billions to help fellow humans in need: Haiti after its devastating earthquake; Thailand after the Christmas tsunami; Japan after its tidal wave and nuclear disaster; and most recently, leading the relief effort after the most powerful typhoon on record smashed the Philippines.
On that last point, one has to look only at how the world’s two biggest economies responded to the Philippines disaster, which left thousands dead and millions homeless, to see which has the true moral authority. America immediately sent millions in money, manpower, and aid, opened airports, rebuilt roads and sent an aircraft carrier to coordinate rescue, relief and reconstruction operations.
China sent $100,000. And no, that’s not a misprint. That was the incomprehensibly meager contribution from the world’s second largest economy to its neighbor.
So on this Thanksgiving, let’s say a prayer of thanks for who and what we are, and another prayer that America’s beacon of hope always remains lit.
And God help us all if we fall.
Here’s a toast to America! Happy Thanksgiving!
America Being America