As the world around us burns with hatred..
Be a Phoenix - America..and Rise from the Ashes
Growing up in India - the word America was synonymous with Freedom to me. Not freedom in the sense of freedom from oppression from a foreign country - in that strictest sense I was already growing up in a free country after all - but freedom to be who you are without judgement, freedom to speak without fear of repercussions and the freedom for one and all to pursue the American Dream!
The American Dream by the way is not all about money - it is about having the ability to create and seize opportunities, it is about rewarding and being rewarded for innovation and above all it is about acceptance, not based on religion, race or nationality, but on merit.
When I landed here in a post 9/11 America - I was unsure if any of this would still be true. The country in my view had 2 choices - it could let hatred consume it or it could rise above it - stronger than before. And for a while - I thought 9/11 HAD changed America. That the country would not be able to rise above the hatred forced upon us by outsiders - but that wasn't true! I saw a country in grief - but a people made more united by it. I saw a country finding its way - and a people more determined than ever to find the right way. I saw a Phoenix - rising above it all.
Now, 15 years hence, once again, there are forces around us trying to tear us apart. Fear mongering, hate, suspicion threaten the very freedoms that makes America great. They aim to take away our dream and replace it with a nightmare. But this time - the forces are within.We are no longer threatened by outsiders, we are threatened by our own! Our Own - are telling us America is not great already, Our Own - are filling our hearts and minds with fear and suspicion. This time - the fight is harder - because it is with ourselves.
But fight we must, for ourselves and for our children. My child is a proud American but I cannot see him growing up under a cloud of fear and hatred. I want for him a country proud of its past and confident of its future. I want for him a leader that leads us with hope not hatred. I want for him - the America of my childhood dreams.
For the future of our children, for the sake of our dream..
Be a Phoenix America, and Rise from the Ashes again
You can, You will, You must.
When I landed here in a post 9/11 America - I was unsure if any of this would still be true. The country in my view had 2 choices - it could let hatred consume it or it could rise above it - stronger than before. And for a while - I thought 9/11 HAD changed America. That the country would not be able to rise above the hatred forced upon us by outsiders - but that wasn't true! I saw a country in grief - but a people made more united by it. I saw a country finding its way - and a people more determined than ever to find the right way. I saw a Phoenix - rising above it all.
Now, 15 years hence, once again, there are forces around us trying to tear us apart. Fear mongering, hate, suspicion threaten the very freedoms that makes America great. They aim to take away our dream and replace it with a nightmare. But this time - the forces are within.We are no longer threatened by outsiders, we are threatened by our own! Our Own - are telling us America is not great already, Our Own - are filling our hearts and minds with fear and suspicion. This time - the fight is harder - because it is with ourselves.
But fight we must, for ourselves and for our children. My child is a proud American but I cannot see him growing up under a cloud of fear and hatred. I want for him a country proud of its past and confident of its future. I want for him a leader that leads us with hope not hatred. I want for him - the America of my childhood dreams.
For the future of our children, for the sake of our dream..
Be a Phoenix America, and Rise from the Ashes again
You can, You will, You must.
