On Being American

A few quick thoughts before I sign out tonight:


I belong to a number of traditions all of which give me life:
Christian tradition
Catholic Christian tradition
Ignatian tradition
Human tradition
American tradition

For me as for most Americans, being an American means being free. It also means knowing that our society and our world can change for the better: we can look at our past and say let’s preserve what is good and let us use our God-given minds to become even better.

I am grateful for the USA which:
*Established a constitutional democracy with a bill of rights at a time when tyranny was ruling the world.
*Ended slavery
*Gave women the right to vote.
*Ended fascism in Europe and Japan.
*Was the fundamental power that established the UN—the first global format for preventing another world war and for coordinating global efforts to aid the poor and promote inter-cultural understanding. This is one of the foundations of our world’s future.
*Set the example for many other cultures in how to promote the peaceful transition of power, even when there is major disagreement about an election—as in Bush vs. Gore. This cannot be understated.