"What Is an American": De Crevecoeur in My Words

     I wish I could be acquainted with the feelings and thoughts which must agitate the heart and present themselves to the mind of an immigrant or refugee first arriving in America.  They must perceive that we have it all in America, and if we don't have it all, we can have it all through our toils.  They must necessarily feel a share of national pride in the great opportunity that America promises, seeing that everyone has a car, food is widely available, water is clean and free, and there is a house on every corner.  Here the immigrant beholds developed cities, buildings with hundreds of windows offering hundreds of jobs, good roads, and even what is said to be the worst of conditions is better than they could imagine.  A sea of milky white faces blurs before them, and a chorus of a single language sings out together.  This is the most perfect society now existing in the world.  Here each person is as free and safe as they ought to be; one can worship as they please, speak as they please, and even disagree with the government on political affairs without the threat of death or imprisonment.
     Yes, America is a great nation where one has freedom do go about life as one sees fit.  America keeps her citizens safe and free, offering the opportunity to "have it all" and exist in a society where one's voice matters.  But these ideals do not come without consequences.  In the quest to "have it all," the American citizen becomes wrapped up in greed, and when they do have it all, still they want more.  The citizen is never satisfied with their conditions, ones which are better than citizens of a less fortunate country could ever imagine.  Yes, the American citizen is safe and free, but in the quest to maintain these privileges, is unwilling to sacrifice this for the betterment of the foreign brother or sister.  We are a privileged nation, and one that hasn't had to think without these privileges present.  We are a nation wrapped up in consumerism, greed, and selfishness; we have lost our sense of empathy and care for those that do not share in our privileges.  But some citizens recognize this and work still to right the wrongs.  America continues to struggle with greed and generosity, consumerism and a stable economy, corrupt politics and leaders seeking to better our nation.  We are never satisfied, but we will not allow our nation to sink into despair and cease to make an impact on the world.  We are not the most perfect society existing in the world, as some citizens have recognized, and laying down this pride, we work together to assist each other and the foreigner seeking refuge.  This is what makes America great--that we have the opportunity to aid where others may not, if only we use that opportunity well.