The Lost American

An unpublished personal reflection.

December 26, 2022

What does it mean to be an American?

What responsibility do we have in promoting ideas like freedom, democracy, sovereignty, and individualism?

There is something in my core that feels American. I cannot place it, but it's a fiery defiance to the idea of freedom being limited. For me, because of my upbringing, I connect this feeling to the values of the country I thought, as a child, I lived in.

In my heart, I still feel an emotional feeling when I realize what other people are willing to sacrifice to come to this country.

The problem of immigration is, in my belief, a sickness in our ability to see humanity in the families who are seeking that same feeling we take for granted every single day.

I cannot see any other path than the path where I seek to expand this feeling that I have, this fiery defiance, this spiritual connection with the idea of freedom, to as many people as I can.

There has never been a better time than now to use our words to share our ideas on what it means to be an American, what it means to be a citizen of the world, and how we can use our privileged position in order to spread this fiery defiance into other individuals.

It is my belief, based on my definition of what it means to be an American, that a citizen of any country can be an American. Many of the Irish, for example, carry in them the same sense of individualism which an American has. The Haitians, too, have that same light within them.

I use "American" because that is the word I know.

Any true American is an antiracist. Any true American is an antifascist. These concepts are antithetical to my America, the same America I was taught we lived in, and the same America I thought we lived in when I was a child.

I cannot help but love this country, or rather, the idea of this country in my childlike understanding of it. I believe most liberals and conservative cover their eyes from reality in order to maintain their childlike understanding of this country. Anyone who is willing to examine this country with any level of seriousness quickly understands the flaws and contradictions of our declaration of independence, and of our constitution, and our bill of rights, and our history of slavery and imperialism.

The most difficult thing is maintaining direct criticism of this country and the system which has corrupted every possible good aspect of it, while also positioning yourself to be part of the generation which changes the country to more closely align with a more perfect union. […]

White Christian nationalists are lonely people who seek absolute control.

We must seek to redefine the American experience. We're in a battle for the soul of the individual — of what it means to be America.

We cannot sit back and allow racists, fascists, Christian nationalists, White nationalists, or other far right elements to win this battle for the soul of the individual.

We must combat them. We must reclaim what it means to be American. With our broad and colorful coalition, we should wave the American flag and reclaim our rightful place as the generation who will restore the soul of the nation by lifting up individuals.

We do not seek a nation of concentrated wealth, we seek a nation of shared prosperity. We seek a nation that guarantees basic necessities to every citizen. We want a nation that invests in its people, not its banks. Who allows individuals to take risks rather than allowing corporations to take risks. A government that provides health care and support to its people.

We have never had access to more information.

The question of our generation is how we use that information, and the technology it has spawned, to advance the light of freedom. Not from one nation to another, but from one person to another. We must look beyond borders, and look into the soul of every person on this earth.

The information we have, the technology, our ability to communicate, our interdependence, our shared climate concern, must be used to spread hope and action. We must create networks which share resources, especially literature and educational resources, in order to advance the soul of every individual.

We don't talk in these terms very much anymore - the idea of a soul, or a common purpose, or of a higher cause. These are elusive concepts. But we would be wise to recognize that they are common throughout every civilization that exists and every civilization that has ever existed.

Civilizations which have collapsed have done so when either 1) disrupted by an outside force, or 2) loss of shared meaning leading to internal disruption.

The answer of our generation, or of the political left, cannot be to cede the territory of these concepts to the political right or the hyper-religious. We must be willing to engage with these elusive concepts, and to feel comfortable embracing the identity of an American.

Again I reiterate: I am using the word American, for it is the word I know, but I am referring to that fiery defiance, the yearning for freedom, and a commitment to justice. Others may find this same passion in their religion, or their political party, but it must be found and it must be used as a tool to spread this light.

We must be willing to speak to one another. We have to find a shared language. We have to give each other grace. We have to assume the best in one another. We must remain vigilant.

Our path forward is not easy, but it is a journey we must go on.

Together, we are stronger.

Together we can defeat the darkness.

December 2022
Smithville, NY