America
Today, there is rising hatred of the United States of America worldwide... hatred is a strong feeling, but it's never the solution... I want to take the opportunity, for America’s 250th birthday, to publish a writing exploring American contributions to the world.... yes... America is imperialist, yes America commits war crimes and crimes against humanity all over the world... and that is unacceptable and needs to be rectified ... yes America made some mistakes, yes, they caused a lot of suffering, death and destruction, but they introduced some beautiful things to the world as well... things aren’t as black and white as we like to simplify them.... reality is more complex than that..... Instead of just mindlessly spewing hatred into the world, let’s not forget the US also contributed greatly to our globe and we should still show them love for it, have empathy, and of course ask hard questions: What are the mechanisms by which the bad things happen ? How can we prevent these bad deeds in the future and how can we correct these bad deeds and find a better path forward ?
Hatred is a feeling not the solution... I am optimistic about us being able to take a better course of action going forward because of the example of the improving relationship between the United States and Vietnam - countries formerly at an ugly, evil war. Rectification is possible, even if forgiveness may not be.... forgiveness of imperialism, war, war crimes and crimes against humanity is a difficult thing , maybe impossible.... and maybe we should not forgive, we certainly can't forget.... but I’m certain there is a better path forward for everyone if we again try hard to understand the root causes of problems, do first principle thinking and together, with everyone, find a better path forward... the economic laws of specialization and cooperation along with supply and demand teach us that working together is best for everyone....
In the grand scheme of things, despite “little” cultural and individual differences we are one and the same.... everyone is capable of bad deeds if we are not kept in check by the people around us and our internal morals... I can't stress this enough; we share the same planet, we share the same laws of physics and humanity, we share the same laws of reality and economics; and we face our challenges together. So let's look at this deeper:
What has the United States done to deserve our love ?
Although the biggest reason the allies have won the second world war against fascism and Nazi Germany is the Soviet Union's incredible sacrifice, however, the United States also played a key role in the defeat of the Nazis and fascist Japan. Moreover, after the war they did their best to punish the perpetrators, and set a precedent of justice in the world for generations to come... But not only that, critically, instead of only punishing the defeated countries, they helped rebuild Europe through the Marshall plan and even helped rebuild Japan through Reverse Course and Dodge Line, despite the Pearl Harbor tragedy, establishing a better relation with the new governments and people... Although it's true America did that with self interest in mind - creating new allies, preventing old enemies from threatening again, and to keep the Soviet Union and Communism from expanding even more, their incredible vision and wisdom creating these actions should still be admired and respected. After World War 2 America won the admiration of a large part of the world because they fought for what was morally right and good, made peace with the enemy, understood them from a point of empathy, and amazingly helped them rebuild and better themselves. Historically astounding ! (I deeply wish such positive action would have also happened with Russia in the 90s after the fall of the Soviet Union too, but it did not.... a key question to ask is why ?)
Even though done for their own self interest, we should admire and congratulate the US for their profound empathy, wisdom and incredible vision of trying to make the world a better place. The US continued these ideas of helping a former enemy in the second half of the 20th century with their help in developing The People´s Republic of China, even though they have done it from the point of their own self interest in the Cold War fight against the Soviet Union... the help the United States gave China should still be accounted for and admired, even if China did all the heavy lifting and is in the end responsible for lifting so many people out of poverty.
Next, with the nuclear umbrella and other assurances of protection of peace, the US ensured there are less nuclear weapons in the world today than there would have been otherwise... nuclear weapons themselves might have contributed towards there being less war in the world, but that´s a difficult topic for another day....
Next, the US constitution is a beautifully written document; Americans can legitimately be proud of their constitution, and I think it did a lot of good for the world too. The accompanying Federalist Papers and discussions of forms of government are a very good addition to world debates about governance. Of course not every country could handle being a democracy, especially when they can´t prevent meddling from other powers through overt and covert action for xample... But that´s another topic for another day.... But what I admire Americans for, is that they popularized the idea that legitimacy of government doesn't come from royal blood, deity, or killing enough people ( like Genghis Khan). The very idea of the social contract, the idea that the government should serve the people, and not that the people should serve the government.... the idea that a government is Of the people, By the people and For the people... is something every person should be grateful for. Even though today there are many problems in this realm, and we are arguably on the path to changing or nullifying this idea, the idea persists with the people of the world... Another writing for another day.
Americans popularized the idea of the first amendment.... that freedom of speech should be protected, accepted and not punished and persecuted... the idea that constructive criticism is done out of love and not hatred can also be traced back to the American way... if we see constructive criticism is made out of love, out of an idea to build something better, because we care and want to see the criticized do better, we can improve the world many times over.
Next, the US has raised living standards around the world through innovation and tech development, an improvement felt around the globe… many consumer goods have made life easier to live, and more fun… although it’s true not all tech development is good nowadays, we should still thank America for the internet for example… another writing for another day…
Arguably, America also raised the standards of societies to feel empathy, compassion, to be kind to one another etc... to an extent... Yes, there are rotten apples that spoil the entire barrel... but generally, I believe this to be the case. The US sets a precedent for the whole world in their fights against slavery, human trafficking, genocide, and generally torture (yes, the US regressed on this after 9/11 and was misguided enough to torture terrorists and prisoners and possibly still to this day engages in overt and covert actions that could be seen as torturous... but the very existence of whistleblowers like John Kiriakou is evidence of there still being a little good in America that gives me hope the US can regain footing on the right path moving forward... we also can’t forget about Jeffrey Epstein of course, but those are again topics for another day...).
Sanctions, although unfair and crippling to the civilian population, are at least better than brute force kinetic military action. Better than killing people outright... Moreover, when the US does kinetic brute force action it at least tries to take steps to limit collateral damage to innocents and civilians. America takes steps to prevent and punish war crimes and crimes against humanity as best as possible, even though it has to be mentioned that they have failed miserably against this in many conflicts... too many of which they themselves have started for the wrong reasons..., but again,that's a topic for another day... With the exception of the terrible Korean and Vietnam wars, the US still at least pretends to care for civilians and innocents....
Lastly, the US and its citizens contributed in the field of culture and expression through its pop culture and entertainment industry that resonates with people all over the world, and enables the worldwide population to express themselves and their feelings through music, film and art...
Maybe this should be another measurement by which we measure the goodness of nations ? Not only how much good they do to their own people, but also how they affect other peoples of the world - which we share as one. Yes, there is much to be desired, there is much wrong here, but America at the very least tries its best or pretends to.... and I hope they will continue to do so... It´s true, many people who commit torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity go unpunished.... and that is something we should be working on, but at the very least they try.... (even though yes, they should try harder).
What does the United States say is the problem ?
America says it has been receiving a bad deal from the world for their empathy, vision, help and protection. For example Americans harshly criticize Europe for spending money into the European welfare system instead of spending it on our own defense. They accuse China of stealing American technology, and giving bad trade deals in return for all American help over the years... flooding the market with more economical goods and thus harming national industry and markets. Although, in this regard it's important to note that China is also doing the whole world a great favor by lowering the cost of consumer goods to fight inflation something many American entrepreneurs willingly lean into I might add.
How do we fix it ?
We fix these issues not by hatred, but by empathy, understanding, compassion and love, but also through strength. I will write how to fix things in more detail in the future, as I´m still thinking deeply about it and need more education to put it all together...
But what I can say is that we can look to the improving relationship between the United States and Vietnam as a guideline for what could be possible. This phenomenon makes me optimistic that we could replicate this behavior elsewhere in the world.
The key with injustice is that the injustice ceases, and that the victims are cared for, the damage repaired as best as possible, and mechanisms put in place to prevent the same thing from occurring again in the future… It’s important to understand how and why bad things happened on a deeper level, so we have a chance to prevent or at least prepare for future aggression, and also try to rectify the underlying problem by which the injustice happens in the first place.
To gain protection, strength is necessary. Only strength can best prevent aggression in the future. Strength can be strength for peace, but strength comes in many forms, not just raw brute destructive power. Another writing for another day.
Counterarguments
The US is obsessed with control and in order to achieve it, it does not hesitate to violate international agreements, international law, conventions and even human rights.
America is and has always been expansionary... it´s too focused outward, when it should be focused inward on their own internal problems... take the immigration issue.... if the US hadn't negatively meddled in so many countries maybe there wouldn't be so much immigration in the first place for example…?
The privatization of healthcare worldwide is a major concern.... Healthcare should be a human right, along with food and water. Healthcare professionals worldwide look at the massive profits the US health industry creates for itself and are distracted from the noble mission of helping people and just want to make as much money as possible at the expense of a population and national systems…
The very idea that profits are more important than the well being of people seems to be an American invention... People doing whatever it takes for money is a not so welcome phenomenon if we want to make the world a better place. There are more important things than money, as well as things money can’t buy and shouldn’t buy...
There is a terrible "reverse famine" happening in the world right now through rising obesity rates which are deadly... I’m sad to say, on the scale of the problem as it exists today I believe the problem originates in America. Profits were again more important than people in this one... More on this in future writings.
Lastly, I’d like to remind everyone that the very American Revolution in 1776 was won in part because France came to the aid of the newly formed US and dedicated military might to fighting the British. Perhaps it’s worth reminding America of how important global cooperation is, and that they are not alone.
Closing thoughts
But despite all the listed things: I will say this: America is a wonderful country and a wonderful people if they want to be... Don't hate America - don't even hate their government - don’t hate individuals in government - just don't hate - hatred is a feeling, not the solution... try to understand things to their root cause and do first principle thinking. Hatred is never the right answer. Only through love can we achieve the destruction of the destructive cycle of hate.
I am really doing my best to love America as much as possible, even though I admit it is difficult sometimes in light of all the terrible things. But nothing is black and white, everything is infinitely complex. But I can proudly say, I love America with all my heart, despite all its faults, which out of love, I will try to fix - but I can’t do it alone, I can only do it with the help, knowledge and wisdom of others.
To close out my thoughts, I met a lot of beautiful people while I was living in America, people who gave me love, understanding and affection... and I want to give that love back, and for starters, what I can do to show that love is to constructively criticize with the intention of improving things for the better. Seeing America destroy itself is not pleasant. But none of us are perfect... and giving effort and a chance to correct a wrong is a form of love in my eyes... If the hatred of America continues to rise worldwide, it will create blowback and harm US interests... I wouldn't criticize if I didn’t love... Seeing anti - American sentiment and hatred rise all over the world every year... it kind of breaks my heart.... yes a few rotten apples spoil the entire barrel... but don´t group them into one, I believe they’re trying their best they just don't know how... they are victims of themselves… and we can all act misguidedly sometimes... I know from my own personal experience.... how valuable and important outside help is, we need to be kept in check by other people to prevent doing harm, which is just as important as doing good in the world....
Lastly, I remember a particularly wonderful 4th of July I spent in Los Angeles with my best friends in I believe 2018... The whole day was so truly splendid... Americans can have the warmest hearts and really make us all feel as one when they are in the right mood... I remember it so vividly from the laughter, to the hugs, to the wonderful food, to the fireworks we set off all day, watching the grand finale on the roof of our house, with a neighbor setting a particularly awesome firework display off that made all of us feel like we were kids again.... I have great hope that America will choose the right path in the end, returning to their empathy and contributing positively to the whole world....