What do I love about the US? I love the land - it truly is a beautiful country. I love hiking our woodlands, walking the beaches, seeing the big sky country out west, and camping in my beloved Adirondack Mountains. While, as you can tell, I'm not a city person, I do even enjoy the occasional visit to the big cities. I love the melting pot that is the US - diverse cultures, music, food, and art.
I love our freedom and our belief in the "Four Freedoms." I find that many people are familiar with Norman Rockwell's Four Freedom paintings, but fewer seem to know that the four freedoms came from a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In fact, at Foodshare, we use a print of the "Freedom from Want" painting as a special recognition award.
I love my country, but there are some things I don't like so well, as in how we don't really live up to the ideals of the four freedoms. If we fully believed that "Freedom from Want" was a basic American value, the Farm Bill would have passed last year with a fully funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. I suspect that many of us could finish the sentence, "If we fully believed that 'Freedom of Speech, of Worship, or from Fear' was a basic American value, then _________."
But my point is not to tear down this great country. I do love my country, but I know that she is not perfect and there are things that could be improved.
Let's take time this Independence Day to reflect on both what we love and what we'd like to work on and make better and then get out there committed to do it!
Happy Fourth!
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