What is American?

Today, I feel American

I haven't felt American

My whole life, I mean

I am American, but I haven't

felt it.

I haven't known what it is to be

an American.

Now, I think I know:

An American is someone

who has passion and drive

Someone who sees the bright future ahead

and yearns to discover and create and

live for tomorrow

An American is someone who listens to and

understands other humans from different

Cultures, creeds, and countries, and still

Remains a trustworthy ally despite any

fundamental or moral differences

An American is also someone who stands up

for injustice and protects their friends

when they need it most.

An American is an honest, hard-working person

with the resilience of those before us,

the colonists of Jamestown that settled in this dirt

and learned to communicate with the native people

and who created a nation out of this great far and wide land.

An American is someone who LIVES and appreciates

The expansive beauty of the regions

Marveling at the majesty of the Blue Ridge

and the Grand Canyon, and a noble eagle flying

across fields and forests and rivers in North Carolina,

or the Arctic air of Alaska, the icy bitter sweet

The golden rays of sunshine beaming down on

the California beaches, the beauty of Los Angeles,

not just for beautiful people, but for the regular

people on the street, living for today and right here, right now

Being an American is "Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream?"

The warmth of the summer sun and the sand beneath our feet

An American is someone who wants to better themselves and

Their country; who seeks to understand the things that we most

desperately want and need answers for.

An American is someone who believes in the greater

purpose of love and peace and harmony.

An American is someone who, despite what any

others might think, loves other countries, loves people,

loves learning, loves exploring, and loves teaching

An American is fueled by the potential promises

of potential dreams being realized, that potentially

anyone can achieve, if we all treat each other

the right way. An American is someone who

takes the word potential, and makes it reality.

An American believes in the common good

but also the individual good, meaning

that we all have the potential to do

great things and be great people

and see great things, no matter

where we come from, or who we are

or where we were born, or what kind

of religion or philosophy we follow.

Being an American is about being aware

of and loving the ever evolving complexities

of this planet and learning to accept what is

Being an American is about keeping the dream alive,

The one that said that everyone, no matter who you are

No matter what you believe, no matter where you are from,

you can become a successful American if that is what

you wish to be.

The value of being an American is not judged by how

much education you have, or what credentials you have,

It is judged by the want, the need, to help people and to

create a place where the common idea of respect and decency

is appreciated, where honest hard working people are valued

An American is everyone. You, me, anyone can be.

An American could be

A little girl from Virginia

who always wondered

about the stars

and whether there was life on Mars

and spent virtually her whole life feeling

no sense of direction until now,

An American could be that girl, that woman,

discovering a new world,

doing something she never thought she could

because society didn't believe she was smart enough

An American is someone who, despite any obstacles

that may stand in their way, gets back up and tries and tries again

If you believe these things to be true and real, if you stand

for freedom and love and happiness and liberty

and mankind and anything in this world that inspires you

to feel so compelled as to make a difference in the world,

however great or small, doing only good and not wishing to harm,

then you're an American.

I'm an American.

We are Americans.

Albeit not always with the best execution of ideas, but our hearts are always in the right place. To me, that's what it means to be an American. No matter what political stance you take, the pure heart of an American is one of love for their country and pride for that, whether as a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or anything else. Americans stand for the freedom to be and express your true self to the world and to be unafraid of what others think, and Americans believe in helping defend that same freedom for others around the world who feel they are being oppressed or silenced. Being American means being the hero, and being willing to step up and BE that hero if no one else does.