Rebuilding Rob

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

What is something you love about your country?

Given the state of things in my country since January 20, I figured this was a timely prompt…

I love what my country is supposed to be, at least in theory; what it claims to be on paper. I love the idea of a nation of immigrants. I love the idea of our government being one that is “of the people, for the people, and by the people“. I love the idea that “all man of created equal”. The problem is, there’s too many people in this country, particularly those who are empower, who don’t agree with these ideals.

I’m not not even enough to actually believe in the ocean of “the American dream“; you’re my naïve enough to believe that this country has ever really been everything it claims to be. What up until the last few years, I feel like America has tried to be. I feel like it is at least try to live through the ideals that it projects to the rest of the world. 

I’ve heard other people in other countries say things like “Americans have the illusion of freedom”. Maybe that’s true. Maybe we’re just fooling ourselves. Maybe we’ve just had. The purple wool pulled over our eyes for too long.

I feel like the good guys lost three months ago and the last presidential election. I’m trying very hard not to fall into total despair, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to think that this country is ever going to find some genuine leadership again.

We are living in a particularly frightening moment in American history. I’m not going to get into all the things that Donald Trump has said and done in the last two weeks, that is just too tiring. A lot of things are happening very quickly and so many proverbial chairs being moved around at the same time, I think it’s easy to get distracted by smaller things while bigger things are happening right underneath our noses.

Frederick Douglass one said “the price for liberty is eternal vigilance”. I don’t think Douglass had the 24 hour new cycle, let alone social media in mind when he said this.

In this world of  instantaneous communication, I don’t think I can stay constantly in front of a TV or a phone screen for the next four years. It’s too much to pay attention to.

I’m not saying that I’m going to disregard what’s happening in my country or right in front of me. Rather, I want to avoid crying wolf at the small things and be sure to pay attention to the bigger picture if you will.

OK, now I’m depressed. This is the kind of thing that I can only think about for a limited amount of time so I don’t dwell on it too much. 

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Eternal Vigilance, Not Eternal Tweeting” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.