I don’t like many Americans. That is not to say that I don’t love them in epic fashion. But I can love you without liking you. I’m actually pretty good at it. My reasons for dislike stem directly from sayings like, “God bless America”. Such things get under my skin. The excess and first world problems of American society frustrate me.
I realize that pain is about perspective. When, as a person, you only experience the problems that come with excess and wealth its difficult to see why only being a one-car family isn’t that big of deal in the grand scheme of life. I get that not being comfortable is hard and having less than what you’re used to is no picnic. I’m not saying the emotions, frustrations and annoyances with the current state in America aren’t valid. I’m not even saying that people aren’t going through difficult and emotional times. But what I’m saying is, if pain is about perspective maybe its time that we got some. I include myself in this because my American first world problems spill over into my third world surroundings constantly. I’m not perfect in this.
I’m writing this while complaining about the fact that I miss soft over stuffed couches. I ain’t perfect. I’m going to say it again. I’m not perfect in this. I’m flawed and American and used to excess. This entry is a reminder to myself as much as it is a reminder to those back home that when we ask God to bless American we have often forgotten that we were blessed over and over and over again a long fucking time ago and taking those blessings for granted is, in my perspective, why we are in the “crisis” we are in right now. This is not a punishment from the Lord. Nay, this is simply a direct result of our own actions.
Regardless, this is why “God Bless America” annoys me. Seriously Americans, what else do we need? We have food on our tables, roofs over our heads and cars in the parking lot. Some of us have lost our homes to foreclosure- but I don’t know a single family that is on the streets (though to be sure there are some). Some of us have filed bankruptcy- but not one of you is in jail for not paying debts and not one of my friends has ended up with broken kneecaps for not paying their lender. Some of us had to humble ourselves and move in with parents and relatives, others had to go back to school, drop out of school and do incredible amounts of work to get by. But still, you eat three times a day, have your air conditioning, your car and your clothes. I’m guessing if you’re reading this you have more than one pair of shoes.
What’s more, you have your refrigerator, your tv, your computer to read this blog and you have your running drinkable water, you have food. And if you do lose your job you have some of the best services in the world. The poor on the street of NYC have more services and programs available to them in any third world country. Where children die of starvation and disease in Africa your children get free education and, in most states, access to health care and insurance. Where I complain of a lack of comfortable seating for my ass my friends in Phrao down the street crap in a hole in the ground and three person family lives on $45.00 a month. Who am I to complain about a lack of snuggles, skittles and movie going experiences? Seriously, who do I think I am?
I know what I complain about and need to address those issues. So I ask you my friends, what are you complaining about? You don’t have a job but you have running drinkable water. You don’t have the money to afford a second car but you have one that’s running but children die on disease half a world a way. Your education system is stretched but you have FREE education. You moan about the lack of excess in your nation begging God to bless you again— perhaps the reality is that you’re sitting right in the middle of the blessing to begin with. Perhaps the reality is that the blessing you’re getting with your seeming hardship is the perspective I’m talking about. Perspective can be a blessing.
You’ve asked God to bless you. So I’m challenging you to see the blessing that is already present. God didn’t leave you, He didn’t forsake you and he didn’t leave you alone for one minute, second or day. Perhaps the prayer shouldn’t be “God bless America” perhaps the prayer could be “God help America see the blessing”.
The blessing isn’t always getting what we want when we want it. The blessing isn’t always comfortable. The times when the blessing IS manna falling from heaven we abuse it just like the Jews did in the Old Testament. Quite frankly, I’m not a fan of looking an ultimate divine being in the face and telling him that what he has given me isn’t good enough. Are you? What I’m saying is that the blessing is often the learning experience we need to be joyful and content with all that we have. At least, that is exactly what the blessing has been for me.
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