My love for France, England, Russia, Japan, India, China and more began in America. The United States is a melting pot of people and diversity.
America The Beautiful
The Americas get their name from Amerigo, a contemporary of Columbus. The United States calls herself ‘America’, perhaps remembering her early pilgrim days.
New England was a mostly free and capitalistic society ruled by England. Little centralized ruling allowed these pilgrims to struggle for survival and success with little interference for a long while. It was truly a beautiful wild place to live.
Pioneers
This became a place of new beginnings, a location for building one's own version of the ideal world. It wasn't long before a group of geniuses with vision actually changed the physical course and structure of their world. They influenced the politics and nature of society in their time.
The women of New England were a no-nonsense group who loved freedom and were hard-working and enterprising. The people of this time succeeded in conquering their physical world, taming both wild nature and self-centered man.
Independence
The Liberty-bell story is about independence and entrepreneurship. England had superior equipment for creating bells, but by nature or necessity americans tended to do things for themselves.
Like India and other places have discovered, part of being independent is not being dependent. This is why Gandhi advocated weaving one’s own clothes, following one’s customs, employing countrymen and relying own one’s own raw resources of intelligence as well as materials. This may include giving up popular fashions, silly addictions, or even superior technology… of a mother nation. So independence may be tied to severing physical dependence and increasing healthy interdependence.
Vision
Vision and sacrifice preceded the founding of America. I do not expect to see this again but we can continue the legacy. They, the founders, rebelled respectfully or at least responsibly. They were backed by the people who participated with them.
There grew a network of friends and associates, who banded and worked together, putting their lives at risk to make a better world, like Gandhi did for India.
Some with real vision made a serious difference but died too early to be well remembered by history. Their premature deaths were remembered by those who succeeded in independence.
Founders
Some like Jefferson were too democratic and theoretically intelligent to have all their ideas followed. One must admire Jefferson, who for all his political views and pressures took the important opportunity of buying Louisiana. Great men can occasional step outside themselves and tendencies for the greater good.
If he were not in France, Jefferson’s philosophies and views may have actually deterred the necessary compromises and business-reality of constitution,. But his influence was felt by his support and sharing of knowledge.
Washington was a monument to amazing leadership. He had a certain strain of humility sometimes unnoticed. Although not always humble in writing, he nevertheless had a consistent habit of accepting ideas and proposals more intelligent than his own. This required a certain level of humility, especially when his presence and personality commanded men in such a powerful way. He had everyone’s respect, and I’m not sure how.
Franklin’s generation grew up in the semi-dark ages, in a manner of speaking. This was before the social reformations of Wilberforce in England. He was like one of the wise elders who was not only an inventor but an understander of men and who foresaw greatness in their new form of government. It is the founders' success to large measure that now allows us to judge them so harshly in our present light.
Some, such as Madison and others, had the simple brilliance of opening their minds beyond present thinking. Just the compromises alone were a mental leap and difficult sell when creating their balanced government.
Love of Other Places
I personally do have a love for other countries and people. England with her Magna Carta and William Wilberforce; France with her love of freedom and Victor Hugo; China with their respect for elders, nature and wisdom; India who has Gandhi; Russia who has Tolstoy; and a number of other places.
Thoughts on Communism and Socialism
We must accept that many of the ideas of communism and socialism are present with us, in our own or other governments, in our shared world.
America was built on the idea that capitalism and self-interest are a natural part of humanity’s struggle for survival. It sought to balance these forces and the drive for power, rather than eliminate them.
Some elements of socialism are present in almost every government, with public schools and libraries being early american features supported by the likes of Franklin.
Many have failed or succeeded with truly communistic societies, but most if not all no longer continue. At the same time dictators have used such ideas wrongly or forcefully overhauled them for their own purposes.
Conclusion
I feel truly blessed to be a citizen of the United States although I love many other places. I hope others will learn from our short history as we learn from their long histories and beautiful cultures.