There is no other place in the world like the good ole USA. For the most part, American’s problems are of our own making.
Foreigners come to this country barely speaking English, purchase a failing small business, work seven days a week, pay taxes, live modestly and achieve the American Dream. They feel blessed.
The same opportunity is afforded to all of us, if we want to work hard and be persistent, but we don’t. Americans want ‘life-work’ balance. That is a first-world luxury that few countries understand. You may have had challenges in your life, but Americans have never endured the turmoil of ongoing war on homeland soil. That takes problems to an entirely different level.
See Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs .
This insight hit me like a bolt of lightning as one day I stood irritably waiting on an elevator to descend from the sixth floor to the lobby where I was. Impatiently I complained to my friend who remarked, “Sounds like a first-world problem to me.” BAM! That one statement seemed to put my entire life in check. I realized every problem I have is a first-world problem. It made me deeply appreciate the extremely fortunate happenstance of having been born in the United States of America.
A focus group I saw on TV was asked questions about our current election. After a lot of passionate argument from both sides, the interviewer asked each person, “If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?” The question shocked the focus group members. Only one person wanted to move, choosing Switzerland (I guess she hasn’t read about their banking corruption). For the group, this one thought-provoking question awakened an awareness that unified the participants. Suddenly everyone understood that no matter what your rant is about America, it is still better than anywhere else. Beneath all of our opposing beliefs, opinions and experiences, we love our country….. And we should.
