What do we HAVE in America? What's truly of value?

But it is still true, for thousands, millions of people - and I guess we can say, no matter how foolish we may find some of our compatriots and their political leanings , we are free to speak our minds and complain equally about each other and the government.

And that we have a constitition that has been a light to so many nations - even though so many of our own citizens couldn't recite most of the clauses (myself included).

I am proud to be an American and feel very blessed to live in this country. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love America.

You failed to mention the greatest thing of value we have in America, and that is freedom. It is something which is so precious and valuable, it can be neither be bought, nor sold.

It has, however, come at a huge price....which has been (and is being) paid by our men and women who serve and protect our country in our military.

I can never understand how Americans can be so proud of the freedom we have, because none of us know what it's like not to have it, it's something we were born with...maybe because our country is relatively young so we're happy we didn't end up with a dictatorship?? There was never any danger of that ever happening though, so I'm just at a loss, I don't get it.

I am one to not feel this extreme gratefulness for the freedom we have here. I've been around other countries who have the same kind of freedom and it makes me feel a lot less special, lol...
We're not the only ones, and in fact most of the civilized world does have that freedom. I think it's human nature to take for granted what you're born with- we take for granted the fact that we can walk, the fact that we breathe, etc lol...so why this excitement over our freedom??

For example, I don't feel grateful that I didn't get shot on the street today, because I've never been faced with anything like that before...And similarly only someone who has been close to death feels so grateful to have their life...but we've never been even close to losing our freedom, it's one of the most basic fundamentals of this country, it has never been in jeopardy so how can we be possibly be so grateful for it??

My point I'm trying to make reminds me of how older African Americans complain that the younger generation takes for granted the fact that they can have all the things other Americans can have..it's only normal though, it's what happens when the danger of it being taken away disappears...which brings me to why I'm so confused at this...
I've always been kinda curious about that and I can never quite understand why most Americans are so hyped up about the freedom we have, but I apologize for taking this thread slightly off topic here...

Education (many come to the US for higher education, i.e Universities)
Technology (we do still have Microsoft, Apple & Silicone Valley)
Architectural Design (there are still a LOT of projects abroad that are designed in the US, or by US owned architectural/engineering design firms)

Those are a few that come to my mind.

That was the first thing that came to my mind too.

There was a danger of that happening, although it was a couple hundred years ago. That's why we have the Constitution and all of the freedoms that we do have today.

Now I don't remember the exact quote that I heard last week, but the gist of it is that if anyone came in to the US and tried to take over a chunk of the freedoms that we have we would be (literally) up in arms fighting them. But what has been happening since FDR up to today is that our freedoms are being chipped away bit by bit while the federal government grows larger and larger. When Social Security started, it was to be funded by not more than 2% of any worker's taxable income. It is now up to close to 20%. That IS taking away from our freedoms. The Patriot Act did it too. The new Health Care Bill does it too. It's all bit by bit, but what we have now that we consider Freedom today isn't anywhere near what the Founding Fathers envisioned.

You're right - many of us do take those freedoms for granted. And you are even more correct that most of the Western Civilized World does have most of the freedoms that we have. You certainly have freedom of speech, religion, press and a democratically elected government in the EU. I'm sure they also have many of the other freedoms that we enjoy here, particularly the judicial freedoms (search & seizure, fair trial, inhumane punishment). Those freedoms are the reason why the US isn't the only country with problems with illegal immigration.

There are plenty of other examples in the world that don't have those freedoms - China, most of the Middle East, and much of Africa. We aren't the only ones who have them, but there are plenty of people in the world who still envy us of what we do have.

Many of us do appreciate the freedoms we enjoy even if we haven't been denied them. Maybe that comes to you as you get older. I'm not trying to be condescending to "the youth" with that statement at all. I'm looking back to how I felt when I was 18, 25, 30 and now closer to 40 (when did that happen???), and how I appreciate the freedoms that we enjoy much more than I did then.

1. Thank God not all people have to experience the alternative to be grateful for the blessings that we have.

2. I am appalled at the lack of understanding. Wow

I can honestly say that I have always appreciated what I have. The freedom that comes from being born an American. The fact that I have enough to eat, that I have a roof over my head and clothes on my back.

My God, I could just as easily been born in a third world country and starved to death before I learned to walk. Or been sold into slavery by parents who could not afford to feed me, the list is endless but for the fact I was born an America.

We all have so much to be thankful for and appreciate.

But then, my parents taught me about the sacrifices made by those who went before me and we were taught in school about sacrifice.

ckblv, If WWII was lost, I may not have been born and what freedom would there be to speak of anyway when I wouldn't even be there to enjoy it or miss it??

Should I think of every possible disaster in history and be thankful that my ancestor survived it therefore I exist???? According to your logic it seems so.
I think I just have a different philosophy about life, I just don't like to sit around and think about how grateful I am for what I have, instead I try to think of what I have and how I can use what I have to create something better out of it.

My mom grew up in Nazi Germany, and my dad was a disabled veteran of WWII. I grew up with many stories of what it was like living in a dictatorship, and during a war, and I have a realization of some of the sacrifices that were made for our freedom.

Some of us are simply appreciative of what we have. There's no need to have something taken away in order to be thankful for it!


I would add unlimited individual potential to the list.

Yeah, but it wasn't and you were and there is.

IMO, that is what is sadly lacking in this country today, the meaning of the word grateful and sacrifice.

The entertainment industry, which is both highly influential and lucrative, is lacking in the list.

Remake Sequel Studios? I thought the thread was supposed to be about something of value.

I would say that an overall high standard of sanitation and most aspects of general safety should be on the list. I mean, some people come here partly because they can drink the water (the taste might be off, especially in some cities, but it will not give you cholera).

How do you think the "American way of life" has been propagated? Don't underestimate the power of films, television, music, theater, fiction, etc.. They've influenced the rest of the world more than any politician or ambassador.