For the Love of Country

Here in America, we have been throwing away our freedoms in a vain hope that life will somehow be safer. We have sent our children to kill and be killed in wars against countries that were no real threat to our nation's autonomy. We have become distracted by the bread and circuses of celebrity scandals, mud-raking politics, and fear-generated denial of what is real and true. We have become a nation consumed with consuming, driven by a sense of entitlement, and convinced that our actions have no consequences.

I am an American. I feel extremely fortunate to have been born in a land where I can write these words without fear of government reprisal. I am deeply thankful for the abundance and privilege that are mine as a citizen of this country. It is with a grateful heart that I make these criticisms. Love of country is not waving flags and shouting "We are the greatest." Love of country is the everyday actions of people who care enough to face the truth even when it is unpleasant.

The first step towards solving a problem is acknowledging that there is one . . .