Programming note: I am working on an in-depth issue about the war in Gaza that I hope to publish by the end of the week. It has been too long since I revisited that terrible situation. A regular issue will follow that.
I also want to thank two new paid subscribers who helped put some wind into my sails to write this issue.
Support A6 by paying for a subscription on Substack or Buying Me A Coffee.
One perk of running this newsletter is that, every now and then, I can write what inspires me. This essay was sparked by a question I was asked this week when I said, “I still like America.”
A6 essay: Meditations on America
“Why?” Was the natural follow-up question to my disclosure that, “Despite it all, I like America.”
America is an ugly place. It’s also beautiful. It is vast but provincial. It is externally powerful but weakest internally. It is the wealthiest country in the world and still very, very poor. We are perceived as the rich barbarians of the West, but the Romans often admired the barbarians for their heroism.
The problems of America are laid out on our lawn for the world to see. Our racism is so evident that homogenous societies scold us. Our healthcare is justifiably mocked, and boy, oh boy, does the rest of the world just shake their heads at “those idiots” with the guns.
The US is the drunk single millennial at the birthday party who is one toddler-shin-kick away from a complete meltdown, ready to be judged by the rest of the guests.
But, while the drunk millennial has problems they need to address, they also volunteer at charities every weekend, treat their colleagues with respect, and try to donate to homeless people when they have the resources.
The US can be harsh, but it is also forgiving. It knows that allowing people to be their authentic selves is the best path toward success.
The hope — which sometimes feels naive in 2024 — is that the millions of good people who are trying their hardest will overwhelm the bad people who are allowed to be themselves.
Our strength comes from the fact that we get into each other’s business, definitely to a fault. But there is a comfort in knowing that if we put in the effort, somebody out there will be willing to receive us. That is not a universal trait across the world, where lonely people can become very isolated no matter how aggressively they open themselves.
Today, a friendly office manager asked me how the past few months have gone for me (I am navigating personal and professional uncertainty). I told him, and we had a 5-minute conversation in which, by the end, I realized I was moderately satisfied with my life right now.
That moment, created by our small talk culture, is just as American as the screeching we hear daily on social media. Two barbarians were bonding over gossip.
I am a relentless optimist, a trait that can annoy people who want to rage about a given problem in their lives. This means that political moments like the Biden-Trump debate can be deeply unsettling as my optimistic mindset crumbles in real time.
But I only allow that feeling to settle for a day, at most. Nihilism is a poison of life, tricking us into believing that we are wise to reality when, in practice, we have cut ourselves off from countless possibilities.
Nobody changed anything along the path of “nothing matters.” Everything matters, which is why America is freaking out all the time. But, hopefully, at this time next year, more of us will still believe we can do our part to make things better.
Why do I like America? I guess it’s because, despite it all, I’m a barbarian who is allowed to find a path towards something better.
Also, it’s freaking beautiful.
Happy 4th of July, everyone! Try not to lose a digit.
A wonderful and necessary essay in these difficult times -- thank you, Kevin. My wife and I planned to leave the country by 2025 and that is not practical at the moment for a variety of reasons. It was easy to look at other countries and see only the good in them and the bad in us, especially as I'm a dual citizen (US-UK). But once I got past that phase, I can see more clearly the things we do well and pledge to continue working, as a sociologist and musician, towards fixing the things that are broken. Cheers.
There is no other country that I would want to live in. Despite my pessimistic attitude with an occasional streak of optimism it truly is a great country.