I used to not appreciate the United States. It was fashionable, growing up, to resent the place we came from, because surely the grass was greener on the other side. My discontent fostered cynicism and apathy about my homeland.
I harbored these feelings until I became independent from my parents. Then, I began to make important decisions for myself, and I considered the question of where in the world I wanted to live. It would be a good time to start a new life for myself somewhere perfect, I thought.
Of course, perfect means different things to different people. I considered carefully what I wanted: social freedom and economic freedom in a modern civilization. I researched and compared and I was shocked to find the U.S. near the top of my list.
Still, it wasn't at the top. I think New Zealand and Ireland were the top two. I looked into immigration and I found that I would probably not be accepted unless I were worth a lot more money.
And that's when it occurred to me that I am super lucky to live in my third pick. This was especially clear, having just researched how oppressive governments can be. I also remembered how vast and amazing our landscape is here -- it's quite a big place with tons to explore.
I'm not saying I'm married to this place. I'll reevaluate things as they change. I'll try to make more money to have more options in the future, too.
For now, I'm very glad to be here, and I'm eternally grateful to those who made this civilization possible. We have a novel constitution, with deep philosophical roots. I won't take it for granted.