I feel lucky to have been born in America
I've been drafting a blog post on my feelings re: coming back to the UK, my future move here, and how it's all contextualized my experience and identity as an American, especially in light of current events both domestic and international.
At the heart of the matter I genuinely feel lucky to have been born in America. There is a personal ethos here that borders on the spiritual. Every national identity carries a similar stamp, and your own will always feel more appealing than any other, if for no other reason than the fact that it's what compromises your cultural DNA.
Our dispositions are predicated by histories larger than our lifetimes will ever be. No individual is removed from the context of their surroundings, and no environment is immune to its inhabitants. The symbiosis of culture and country is a never-ending process, symptomatic of all a people's ills, and likewise symbolic of their strengths.
I am American and my wife is English. My little sister's fiance is originally from Pakistan. All of our unique cultural backgrounds serve only to enrich each other's lives.
I guess my point is that I'm hopelessly romantic in these affairs. It hurts my heart to watch the perversion of American culture at home, and makes me worry for when I move abroad. I view my being American as a privilege, not a character flaw; there's so much that it's given me in terms of my self confidence and outlook on life. What's happening now is a scourge against our national character and history.
✘ Posted on — 04/15/25
✘ Last modified — 5 months ago
✘ Link — https://blog.xavierhm.com/i-feel-lucky-to-have-been-born-in-america