American

This post is overdue by quite a few days. Inspired from a radio interview I heard conducted with Richard Wright on the Fourth of July, he was asked what he thought made up his American identity. I thought about the question and applied it to my own life and decided I should type up something about it. This, as of now, is the end of my procrastination to that question.

I view my American identity as a product of growing up in a family that had it hard to begin with but were able to rise above the obstacles presented to them by life. There were struggles for my parents that they were able to move beyond by following a rigid work ethic that was instilled in me and my siblings from a very young age. With these ethics came a sense of manners and right and wrong. We were raised in a Christian household which provided the foundation for the values that I would later on adapt for myself. My parents were able to work in successful jobs that provided well for the family as a whole, and I was lucky enough to have parents as supportive as them so that I could go to college to pursue my passion.

Through the times of my life where I have needed help or have lost my way, they were always there to provide support and to help ensure that I don't necessarily have to face the same problems they did head-on. It is this sense of continued empowerment that has affected me in trying to pass that support on to my friends and family.

Whenever I envision the idea of an American, I don't see it defined by a race or a certain religion. I don't see minorities or majorities or outcasts. What I see is an individual pushing up against the ways of the past so that they can create a brighter future. I see people who are struggling every day, some harder than others for the same goal. The focus for these struggles are embedded in the sands of tomorrow.