{"id":139,"date":"2015-06-30T14:56:30","date_gmt":"2015-06-30T14:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.innertalk.com\/blog\/?p=139"},"modified":"2015-06-30T16:23:56","modified_gmt":"2015-06-30T16:23:56","slug":"lessons-from-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innertalk.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/30\/lessons-from-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from America"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IndependenceI have a bit of a confession to make, and please do not be offended by this. Growing up in England in the 70s it was hard to resist adopting some of the anti-American sentiments\u2014the ideas that Americans were loud, over-bearing, lazy, lacking in class, pompous, arrogant . . . and oftentimes fat! Yes, we gladly consumed lots of American television, such as Dallas<\/em>, Starsky and Hutch<\/em>, and Mork and Mindy<\/em>, but no one took any of these seriously, especially when compared with the much finer British productions (of which I can think of none at this time\u2014lol!). All of this meant that, when I met Eldon and he invited me to the States for the first time, the only reason I came was the strong sense that this budding relationship was important. Bottom line, I visited Eldon in spite<\/em> of the fact that he lived in America! Now, I am sure that I would have had hesitations about any other country, but here we are talking about my British ethnocentrism, which is another story.<\/p>\n

Stereotypes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But back to the point\u2014when I first came to America I really thought it was just a larger version of the U.K. where the people had some very strange ideas and values. Was I in for a real education! Eldon was not abashed about sharing his pride in America, as he has to be one of the most patriotic people I have ever known, but even so, I very rarely ever met anyone who came close to fitting the negative American stereotypes I had been taught to believe in. If anything, what I encountered was totally different: most people worked hard and long hours, and rugged individualism was an attribute that was prized and highly respected. And then of course, there is the burning desire to find a better way\u2014accepting problems just is not the American way as there is a constant drive to do better, to find easier ways to achieve the same ends. This one was very interesting for me as, up until I encountered this, I had respected most the East Indian ethic, which believes in being extremely accepting and willing to acquiesce, especially to the wisdom of our elders. But it was when I saw the American desire to be independent, self-sufficient, and continually striving for self-improvement that I realized what it was that had made America such a great nation, even though as nations go, it is still very young. This is a nation that has been born out of a desire to forge its own path, face problems head-on, admit its mistakes, find better ways, and to constantly improve itself. Yes, it has made mistakes, but who amongst us has not? From what I have seen, whenever America sees a mistake, it goes out of its way to correct it!<\/p>\n

The Great Experiment
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\nIn time I succumbed to the allure of America and decided to become an American citizen. In addition to all the paperwork and legal hoops I had to go through, I also had to get an education into American history and government. It was in this process that I realized why, in certain spiritual teachings at least, America is considered to be the “great experiment.” In fact, I do believe there was some divine inspiration guiding Thomas Jefferson when he wrote in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness … ” To me, there is no higher form of spirituality than living according to this statement, and no value that is worth protecting more. Today I am proud to be a citizen of this amazing country!<\/p>\n

What Can YOU Do?
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\nHave you stopped to think what it is that you can do to continue this nations fine legacy as we approach Independence Day 2015? America is not just a concept\u2014it is a group of people who are constantly working to improve themselves and the lives of those around them. So what is it that you can do to:<\/p>\n