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We’ve been in Europe now for close to eight
months and this will be our first Independence Day away from home.
I’ve always thought that there are only four places to spend the
Fourth of July: Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston, or your own
hometown. We will be doing the fourth option this year but it will be
special to nobody else in town but Lynn and me. Because we are so
far from home on this day of days for Americans, I’ve thought a bit
about what it means to me to be an American.
Within U.S. borders, we are at home. Those among
us who are not Americans are guests in our home. Much like in your
own house when you have guests, you may feel comfortable touching
some ornament or going into the refrigerator, but your guests are
not as comfortable doing that as you are. Here in the Netherlands,
we are the guests, and the awareness that we are guests is the
awareness that we are foreigners. We are much more conscious of
being American here than we ever were in the U.S. Like any guests,
we want to be on our best behavior. I try to make sure I don’t sound
as if the American way is the best way, or worse, the only way. For
instance, a Dutch co-worker was explaining how something worked
here, different from in the U.S. "Oh," I said, "you do it the other
way." "No," said this man of whom I am very fond, "YOU do it the
other way!" And he was right. We are, after all, in his home.
In the U.S. we may be curious (or not) about
foreigners and where they come from. We may (or may not) be
interested in their customs and ways that are different from our
own. But generally, we don’t really know a whole lot about the
places where other people come from. What’s the climate like in
India? How many months a year do kids go to school in Germany? What
kind of shows are on television in Denmark? What language is spoken
in Belgium? Is that the only one? We usually don’t know the answers
to these questions. However, it doesn’t work that way the other way
around. By and large, the Dutch know a whole lot more about us than
we know about them. They have lots of books by American authors
translated into Dutch. They know a great deal about American history
and geography, our pop culture, and our sports. One guy even knew
who Donovan McNabb is and that he went to Syracuse. Other than that
Beckham dude, name a European soccer player. Time’s up.
Because we know so little about the Dutch and
their culture, among others, we don’t have strong opinions, if we
have any opinions at all, about how they do things. But they have
very strong opinions about nearly everything we do. Why do you need
such big cars? Why are there so many stupid lawsuits? If the World
Trade Center and Pentagon attacks were done mostly by Saudis, why
did you go to war against Iraq? Why do you have grocery bags without
handles that are so difficult to carry (this last one came from
someone who saw a character on Desperate Housewives struggling with
a bag). The Dutch view us differently from other foreigners here
because we are the big kids on the block, we are dominant in the
world, our culture is pervasive, and our influence is everywhere. We
Americans have earned, have in some cases taken, and have been given
a lot.
There’s an old saying that goes "from those to
whom much has been given, much is expected." A little research
reveals that this phrase can be ascribed to Jesus. You could look it
up (Luke 12:48). Since Americans have been given so much, it makes
sense that much is expected of us, and that is what we owe the rest
of the world. So I’m proud to be an American. Not because of what we
have materially, not because we have influence and power in the
world, but rather that we have the capability, if we wish, to humbly
use our resources and our influence to make the world a better
place, not by force, not by imposition of our will, but by
understanding others and helping to guide them to where they want to
go. Although I am disgusted with, embarrassed by, and fearful of the
current administration, I am encouraged that we still have a form of
government where I can write this without worrying about criminal
repercussions, and that we will eventually throw the bastards out.
Ours is a form of government where the majority rules but efforts
have been made so that the minority is protected from the tyranny of
the majority, the difference between a republic and a democracy
using older definitions(1,
2 [search for "tyranny of the majority"],
3 ,
4). The promise of America, the ideal that is
America, these are our best assets and we have to work hard to
achieve them. And, to be sure, we haven’t achieved them yet. The
Declaration of Independence says it is "self-evident that all men
(and women) are created equal" but we still don’t yet treat all men
and women equally. We may never fully get there but we must
constantly strive.
To all of you who are American by birth, American
by choice, or who are our guests for only a while, this red, white,
and blue, star-spangled, yankee-doodle all-American boy and his wife
wish you a happy 229th birthday. Remember what John Adams said:
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