Opinion

A grand sense of ownership of the US

Only a couple weeks to wait until spring occurs in the Northern Hemisphere and I couldn’t be happier than I am today at the prospect of a new year in America during my favorite season.

For openers, no state in the union is prettier or more promising in a display of natural beauty by God’s blessings than that of Oregon’s. Born and raised in Oregon and always admiring the state, my travel bug enticed me to see the world from which I always accomplished a return, feeling better and evermore prouder of the Beaver State.

Meanwhile, presently, all things considered, I feel a grander sense of ownership of my entire country as an American citizen, more so this year than I recall from any other year of my life. The main reason being that our democracy was tested in the extreme during the last four years—although never more exhaustingly so than in 2020—and still found its footing well enough to survive another one of those challenges only coming, thankfully, a few times before now.

The pride and satisfaction I feel come to me, mainly, from the fact that our Constitution withstood test by fire from an executive branch at the national level that tried our souls and threatened our very existence. I give a shout out to the courts of America that withstood the onslaughts to it: If our federal judges had not stood firm against the slings and arrows thrown at the judicial system, our unfinished efforts at democracy could have gone down in flames. Heartfelt appreciation to the nation’s Supreme Court when it stood firm against a mighty thrust from a politician attempting to make it work for one American alone. Then there were the individual politicians whose resolve helped to save us. We shall not forget also the companies that made the COVID-19 vaccines and those groups in the medical community that delivered it.

Our nation and its democratic-republic form of government will never be a finished product because such are the slings and arrows of changing times and their related demands. Nevertheless, a personal assessment is that no matter whether it’s war, social uprisings, natural disasters or other any other adversity, we Americans have found ways to overcome and get stronger during our 240-years as a nation. Though many get hurt and some die along the path of struggles over the centuries, every generation looks back and thanks those who sacrificed life and limb to establish and sustain a more perfect union.