When I was 6 years old, I learned to love America

I recall being about 5-6 years old and visiting a family my parents knew who had been to America for holiday. I and my brother repeatedly demanded of them to show their super-8 films feauturing places they'd visited over there like Disney World ín Fla.

As I grew older, I got to study at universities where I was taught America is evil and other bs.

Today, I'm poor and my beloved parents and their friends are well off Swedish intellectuals.

I don't care about their ideals and lifestyle, but please believe me when I say my country still loves true American spirit:

Fellow Freeper,

“But today it is with qualification which is that is ‘Which America are you talking about?’ But there’s been a bit too much cultural, societal, and intellectual rot that’s occurred since then for me to make blanket statements anymore.”

In reply:

I'm European, not American, but take my word for granted;

America will not fail.

Neither will Europe, although Europe has been chaos and turmoil for thousands of years and is likely to continue to be.

As Westerners of today we daily find ourselves in strange conflicts, conflicts often marked by lack of symmetry.

For example, we are asked to decide on issues of national importance through our participation in national elections, but seldom we feel as actually having any say regarding national affairs.

I don't know about every single aspect about life in the US, but probably it isn't much different from living in Volvo Land.

Anyhow, you and I are aware there are people in foreign countries who willingly would give their lives up in order to have their children enjoying a different rule where they live.

Media people and scholars probably will protest, but I'd like to claim Western democracy of today is the best form of government ever known to Mankind.

For anyone who doesn't particularly need Marx this is easy to see, but where does this insight leave us?

In short; everywhere!

I'd say that personal self reflection combined with the study of history as well as engagement in politics sparks up..inspiration.

There is so much yet to do!

We are the masters, not only of our own individual lives here on Earth, but also of the World which we leave behind - and we are free to shape it.

Are we not?

In 1439, a certain Swedish bishop uttered these words;

“Frihet (”Freedom”) är det bästa ting (”is the best thing”), som kan sökas (”that could be searched for”) världen kring (”all around this World”)”

Get the point?

Western Culture

America’s founding values and ideals represent the pinnacle of Western philosophy in my mind. But in case you haven’t noticed, America is no longer united behind them. The country has fractured and its founding values have been under siege. Freedoms and liberties are being diminished.

America’s Founders warned of what would be required of the people to keep their hard won freedoms and liberties.

‘Frihetskampen’ is never won. It is an eternal battle to keep the darker attributes of human nature in check. And we are seeing were and fewer people up to the task, for reasons another very astute and prescient man, Alexis De Tocqueville identified nearly 175 years ago.

Now is a very, very bad time to be complacent and ‘whistle past the graveyard’.

How do people and nations survive?

300 years ago, Poland, Russia and Denmark together declared war on my nation.

We decided to respond by giving them hell.

First we took Copenhagen, then we took Warsaw.

Then we attacked Russia.

Perhaps, that strategy was nothing like a masterly, well thought out plan, but for some reason it worked..

Sweden was defeated at Poltava in 1709, but at that point of time “mighty” Russia was exhausted.

Russia begged for peace and the Swedish troops marched home.

But admittedly, Russia was later succesful in a later military conflict and won certain parts of the Baltics.

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