Why I'm Proud to Be an American

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays. Between the amazing food, fun bonfires, time with family, and beautiful fireworks, it's hard to beat. But most importantly, it's the celebration of our amazing country. The country I am so proud to live in and be a citizen of. If you pay any attention to the news, it seems as though this country is falling apart. Nobody can agree on anything, there is so much name-calling and arguing, nobody tells the truth, and so many people are offended by everything, including our own flag. Maybe I'm just naive, but I really don't think it's as bad as the news makes it out to be. I mean, let's face it, they're businesses, and sadly, that means you do whatever it takes to make the most money you can. Even if that means only showing the bad and worrisome things because those are the stories that get more readers and likes. Stories of politicians being immature and calling each other names, and arguing about childish things is way more exciting than a story about people in a small town doing good for others. There is still good in this country, even though it may not seem like it at times. It is still the greatest country in the world, even though many people let their ignorance get in the way of realizing that. It makes me so upset when people take the freedoms we have in this country for granted. As a Christian I am allowed to worship however I want, wherever I want. There are so many other countries where that wouldn't be the case. I could be put in jail, or worse, I could be killed for my beliefs. I would have to join the many people in this world who worship in a hidden church in fear of what would happen to them and their families if their country's officials found out what they were doing. Despite what so many people think, as a woman in the United States, I have more rights than women in some other countries. We can vote, go to college, have the same opportunities as men, and are considered equal to them. In places like India and China many pregnancies are aborted once women find out the baby is a girl because boys are considered the greater gender. In Saudi Arabia, women aren't allowed to leave their homes without their male guardians no matter where they're going or how short of a time they'll be gone. We're allowed to have our own guns in case we need to protect ourselves or our family. We have the opportunity to have a say in who our nation's leaders are, and to have a say in some of the major issues our states and towns have. The majority of the country has clean water and a good supply of food, two luxuries that too many other countries don't have. Before you complain about the lack of rights women have in the United States, or anything else you think isn't "fair" or is "offensive" in this country, I challenge you to do some research and take a look at how citizens of some other countries are treated. I really hope that you learn to feel lucky to have the things we are given so freely and take for granted every day. The things we don't have to do anything to earn, but that the citizens of other countries would do anything to have.