Saturday Musings - America IS Great

We the people...

When President Trump unveiled his presidential campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again” I was a little confused. Being from Australia and a frequent traveller to the USA I can unequivocally say that America has always been great and is still great.

After flying for fourteen hours from Melbourne in an A380 it’s a welcome relief to step off the plane in Los Angeles. You know what the first thing I notice is? No, it’s not the security guards, the chaos of immigration or the queue for the taxis. It’s opportunity.

Sadly, some Americans have become so used to the opportunities around them that they can’t see them anymore. As a foreigner let me tell you right now that America was not just a land of opportunity for the early settlers, but it is very much still a land of opportunity right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Australia but in terms of opportunities when I’m at a conference in the USA I feel like I’ve come from the desert and entered a tropical paradise. Every conversation has bigger numbers in it, people are willing to give something a go and even failure is seen as just one of life’s many lessons.

Just over ten years ago I took my family to the USA for a six-month road trip. It was an amazing experience where we travelled the length and breadth of the nation in a Dodge Grand Caravan. During our trip the thing that impacted us the most was the openness and hospitality of the American people.

We found that no matter what state we were in, everywhere from California to Florida and every state in between, the people were welcoming and would go out of their way for us. It was simply amazing and humbling all at the same time. It was a palpable display of what it means to be a great people and inspired us to become more hospitable when we returned home.

While we were in Washington, we visited the National Archives and viewed the Constitution of the United States. As well as being a very moving experience I was struck by the first few words, “We the people”. It doesn’t start with, “The government….” It has, “We the people….”

I would remind my American friends that despite the endless diet of fear and disaster being portrayed by your media that you are a great people. The media is driven by the latest soundbite to attract attention to their dying business model and they have largely abandoned the quest for the truth. Let me assure you that long after the current medias demise "We the people” will still be around.

Does America have problems? Yes, like every nation it has them, but I have a great faith not necessarily in the American systems of government but in the people themselves to overcome every adversity.

It’s the strength of the American way of life that is so attractive to families all around the world while being so terrifying to autocratic regimes. The willingness to embrace and fight for the right of a person to be able to share their views, even when you disagree with them. The reason why America is great is not because of the size of its military but rather the openness of the spirits and minds of the people who live there.

Don’t believe the fear and especially don’t believe the self-condemnation of slogans that finish with "again". Being from Australia I don't have any political axes to swing but let me assure you that America IS great and always has been.

The rest of the world actually needs “We the people” to hold their head up high as the torch bearers of liberty and freedom into the years ahead. I would have you know that across the Pacific Ocean there is at least one Australian that would honour America as being GREAT.

Have a GREAT weekend,
Michael