I feel so privledged to have been born into a country that is able to so continuously try to perfect itself. Having recently been stunned into tearful silence by A Thousand Splendid Suns, I have been literally counting my blessings, as a mother, a daughter, and as a woman in general born in this great and varied land. In the past it has been a rarity that I have felt this patriotic. Which is not to say that I have updated my wardrobe with a complete array of red, white, and blue or that I have purchased stock in flag lapel pins. I still don't remember all of the words of the Star Spangled Banner (you wouldn't want to hear me sing it anyway) and I still sometimes confuse the tune of America The Beautiful with On Top of Old Smokey, but I am more thankful than I think I have ever realized.
Today I have been thinking about Afghanistan, at war for over 30 years, blanketing their women in obscurity, the scent of burnt books and art forever destroyed still fresh in the periphery of history. I have been envisioning 2000 year old sculptures crumbling beneath the force of dynamite and orphanages occupied by children who aren't all technically orphans. I have been intrigued about a nation whose trivialities over tribal loyalty have caused violence to cast a hazy shadow over an otherwise beautiful culture. And I have been thinking about how in the last 40 years our nation has gotten progressively better.
We are by no means perfect. As we compete for the bigger house, the more expensive car, the least amount of wrinkles, and the name brand clothes, our foreclosure rates soar. We can be arrogant despite high unemployment rates and selfish despite our blessings. But we unite when nature or an unforseen enemy destroys our cities, we defend our brother if only because he is ours, and we cry when we read emails about soldiers, children, or animals. We have enough water to bottle it, enough food to share, and clothes to give away. We have the luxury of complaint and the audacity of hope. We don't typically concern ourselves with the "ifs" in life, but with the "whens".
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." As Afhghanistan continues its struggles to right its history's wrongs; rebuilding its cities, unveiling its women, and protecting itself against history's tendency towards repeats, we prepare to see another of Martin Luther King Jr's dreams awaken. We are a nation with its glass half full. And I am proud to make a toast.
