Things to Remember on this Independence Day...Happy 4th of July!!!

I’ve been thinking a lot about this upcoming 4^th of July—I’m sad that I’m having to miss the family celebration at the lake, I’m happy that Americans are able to celebrate our independence so openly, and I’m curious as to how people in other countries celebrate their independence, if at all. In thinking about all of these ideas, one thought continues to weigh heavily on the forefront of my mind. We Americans…we are some extremely lucky people!!! And I thought that maybe I could use today's holiday to remind everyone in America just how lucky we really are.

If you asked every person celebrating today in America if they chose to be born in the U.S.A., of course they would say “no”. If I went around Malawi and asked everyone I met if they chose to be born in Malawi, of course they would say “no”. The point is that not one person on this planet gets to choose the situation into which they are born. Unfortunately, the people that I am trying to help here in Malawi did not choose to be born into one of the world’s most impoverished lands, with scarce food, dirty water, mud huts, rampant disease, and complete lack of economic opportunity. In just the same way, we Americans are all very lucky—we did not choose our birth nation, but we were all born into the world’s richest land, with everything from the bare necessities of food galore, clean water, shoes, sturdy roofs over our heads…to the luxuries of electricity, free public schooling through the 12^th grade, a democracy in which everyone has a voice, bountiful opportunities for economic advancement, and the chance to fulfill the “American Dream”. We are extremely lucky people!!! I am reminded of just how lucky I am every single moment of my time in Malawi…the reminders are constant, and they are very important. It is imperative that we always remind ourselves of the incredible fortunes we enjoy in America…not so that we can boast, but so that we will be humbled…not so that we can wave our American flag with a sense of victory and arrogance, but so that we will wave our American flag as a sign of accomplishment and gratitude to our founders and as a sign of hope to our fellow human beings born into nations less privileged than ours.

I have officially lost count of the number of Malawians that have asked me to take them back to America with me when I return in August. Everyone here has only the loftiest images of the U.S. in their minds. They often dream of one day making it to America to earn a living…they dream of sweeping the streets of New York City and earning more money in one month in NYC than they would ever earn in a lifetime in Malawi. I am always troubled with my response to these requests…I can never find the right thing to say in these moments. Of course a part of me is warmed that everyone around the world (even people in the most remote parts of Africa) dreams of the U.S. as such a wonderful place because it is indeed that wonderful. Of course the other part of me is so sad that these Malawians have to go through life, completely conscious of their tragic impoverished state, and constantly dream of leaving their home, their family, their friends, and everything they know for another country in hopes of finding a better life. Again, let this serve as a reminder of our fortune in America…not so that we can boast, but so that we can be humbled… not so that we can wave our American flag with a sense of victory and arrogance, but so that we will wave our American flag as a sign of accomplishment and gratitude to our founders and as a sign of hope to our fellow human beings born into nations less privileged than ours.

I have never really understood the “American Dream” until now. I always thought that it was a lovely “pop term” that Americans like to throw around to instill our “place at the top” in Americans’ minds and in the rest of the world’s inhabitant’s minds as well. However, I now understand what the “American Dream” really is, but I think that the term should be changed to the “Humanity Dream”. It is simply not fair that this “dream” can only be realized in America—that this “dream” can only be realized by American citizens…us…born into a country…into luxuries and endless opportunities that were given to us without us even having to earn them. The concept is simple—in America, we can become anything we want to become. We can succeed on any path we choose. If you look into the eyes of a 4 year old in America, you can truly see hope, opportunity, an important spoke of the Capitalist wheel, and ultimately a very clear vision of success! However, if you look into the eyes of a 4 year old in Malawi (or any other developing nation in the world), you see none of these things. Instead, you see despair, worry, fear, and the forgotten people in society; and somehow, you know that no matter how hard this child tries to become educated and tries to work, the sad truth is that the opportunities for success are nowhere to be found. This is not fair! No matter how hard they work, they will more than likely end up trying desperately to live on less than $1 a day, not having enough food to feed their families, losing their loved ones to preventable infectious diseases, and dying before they reach the age of 37. Something about this is not right, but again…let this serve as a reminder of our incredible fortune in America…not so that we can boast, but so that we will be humbled…not so that we can wave our American flag with a sense of victory and arrogance, but so that we will wave our American flag as a sign of accomplishment and gratitude to our founders and as a sign of hope to our fellow human beings born into nations less privileged than ours.

These reminders to the American people are so very important! Our lives are so easy compared to the rest of the world, so we can easily forget how lucky we truly are. It becomes very easy to take things for granted (like clean water, shoes, and access to medical care) when you live in a place like America. There is only one nation of people in this world, and that nation is humanity. Let us Americans use our fortune and our endless opportunities to now bring hope to those who look up to us, to those who wish they could be our neighbor, to those who wish they could be our friend…to those who need hope the most!!!

I am proud to be an American…you are proud to be an American…let us always remember to channel our great American pride in the most noble of ways!!! Let us dedicate ourselves to helping the rest of the world's people enjoy the things that we get to enjoy everyday of our lives!

God Bless the U.S.A. and God Bless Malawi!!!