Pride. Who knew that such a small word could have such a strong meaning? The dictionary defines it as “pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself”, but to me, it means much more than that. It means looking at actions and behaviors of someone or something and wanting to be represented by it. That’s why when I heard the question “are you proud of America?” it was fairly easy for me to answer.
I take much pride in my country because of all of its accomplishments and the way it has overcome struggles and challenges. In 1861 America wanted freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and letting each individual have equal rights. They fought for what they wanted and eventually, they got it.
September 11th, 2001, America was terrorized on its own soil. We lost a lot that day. We lost the lives of our loved ones, we lost the some of the buildings and monuments that symbolized our country, and most importantly, we lost our pleasure. It left us with the sorrow and mourning; scared to see what tomorrow may bring us. I’m not proud of the attack or how it left us, but what I am proud of is how we recovered. We found our way out of a dark place and built ourselves up stronger and more stable.
I am proud of America and all we’ve accomplished and I am proud of the things we’ve done to make our country better, but what I’m most proud of, is HOW we’ve accomplished it. Together as one.