The Melting Pot

I love the Fourth of July. I'll be honest: most days, I kinda wish I wasn't American. It's just that, I feel like Americans don't really have their own culture. I look at other countries and other ethnic groups and they seem to have so much more of a culture, so many more traditions; the Chinese, Indians, Irish, Mexicans, Spanish, Native Americans (the list could go on and on) - they all have such rich cultures (dances, ceremonies, traditions, food, etc.), that it makes me feel like Americans don't really have much of a rich, original culture.

But then the Fourth of July rolls around and my eyes are opened to all that is part of the rich American culture. We may not dress up in traditional clothes and perform old dances from hundreds and hundreds of years ago, but we certainly have our own traditions. And I've realized how much those traditions vary all over the country.

I've come to realize that the stuff I just consider part of life and nothing unique or special is only that way to me because I live it. It's not anything new. But it is part of American culture and it is definitely rich and unique. We've got rodeos and big BBQs. We've got the tradition of going up to the lake and the cabin. We've got baseball and volleyball. We've got cowboys and rappers and divas (or those who think they are divas). Businessmen and mountainmen and fishermen. Even our food, though it may not feel exotic and cultural, is a big part of what makes America, America. We've got applepie which is as American as it gets, and we all know how American fast food is. We have deep fried everything, and everything can come on a stick (when you're at the fair, at least). We've got little kids running lemonade stands on street corners. We have cabins and lakes to retreat to on weekends. We have the sultry western coast, eccentric eastern coast, wild west, sweet south, and quiet central US. Not only is the US rich in its own culture, but every part of the US has it's own individual culture and traditions. It kinda baffles me when I start to think about it...we are truly the epitamy of the term: Melting Pot. Not only is America a melting pot of cultures from around the world, but it is in and of itself as well. And I think that is so cool and that is what makes America, America.

You can truly be anything you wanna be. Choose any religion you want, doesn't matter. You'll find it here somewhere and you are completely free to follow it as you wish. Go on to college or not, the option is there for you. Start your own business. Become famous. Be a professional athlete. Be a stay-at-home mom. Be a working mom. Be a cowboy. It doesn't matter. The list is endless. I think it's cool that America started out as a place for dreamers and still is that way. There very much is still the vision of "The American Dream" and I think there is a reason for that, even though the "American Dream" is different for every person. People came here hundreds of years ago with nothing but a few dollars in their pockets and a handful of dreams in their hearts, and I think it's very much that way now. America is still a place of dreams and hopes. Little kids grow up dreaming of big things they want to be when they're older, and hopefully they stick to them and fulfill them. America is a melting pot of people and their dreams, and I hope it forever stays that way.