There is much that I like about America.
I like that we are allowed our own opinions and can shout them from the mountaintops (or from the Internet mountains).
I like that we are allowed to disagree.
I like that we guard these freedoms, sometimes by trying to over-shout those we disagree with.
I like the diversity of ideas, beliefs, colors, and hairdos in America.
I like that when we make mistakes, we correct them.....eventually.
I like that we fight passionately for what we believe in.
I like that, when we must make a decision for our nation, we are forced to make that decision with those we disagree with.
I like that America is not a definition - it is a group of conflicting individuals that are forced to interact.
I like that we are equals, peers - siblings borne of a chaotic and difficult birth - trying to find our way in the darkness.
I like that our democracy is not easy - it calls us to stand up and make a difference. Contempt and laziness is our downfall.
I like that we believe in each other, even if we don't believe in what each other is saying.
I like that we are communities - we are villages - we are still trying to nurture this child, this America, into adulthood.
I like that we are composed of opposites, yins and yangs. It keeps us honest and balanced.
I like that we are frail and emotional humans - trying to understand one another, trying to understand ourselves.
I like that we are all afraid, though not always of the same things.
I like that we all hope, though not always for the same things.
Central to all of these things that I like is "we". America is not a country, or a nation. It is not democracy or a belief. It is not a superpower or an economy. It is simply "we". It is what I like the most.