Hello, and welcome to my notes on America.
My plan was, initially, to write a post about current events, but I realized that my writing/blogging voice has been less about politics and more about the cry of my heart. To stand, and see those around me stand, to tie in with the one hope we have of seeing America become the land she was meant to be. You see, I love my country as much as almost any man or woman could, I am just too young to be able to show it. Chris Kyle, one of the greatest heroes of my life, put it perfectly when he said, “…God, Country and Family. And the order of the last two are debatable.” When I say that I would die for my country, I mean it. I think it is every ounce of worth it, and the people in it are precious to my heart. Because, essentially, America is the people, the people who hope and dream. Now, all that to say, my blog has been about America’s restoration via the voice of the people. And that is what I want to write about.
Today, we went to Shasta Dam. I am sure all of you have been there, but this was my first time. Now, I am a sucker for mountains. Give me four days of free time, and I will spend three days and twenty-three hours in the mountains, no questions asked. I also have a thing for roads, and have always been mesmerized by the risk of walking down the center of them. *kids, don’t try this at home.* No, but seriously. Today, I walked down the center of a curvy mountain road, my favorite Gurkha Cigar Trading Company backpack snuggly on my shoulders, and my combat boots moving with me as if they were a part of me. (After two years, I guess they kind of are.) During this walk, I was thinking about America, but more of how I see it than how the corporate/political world sees it. It is a wild idea, which is hoisted on the backs of lumbermen who hightailed it to the West with nothing but rifles and bibles, and made a home for themselves, a country. This is the country that has been built off of exploration, adventure, tried and tested faith, and most importantly, love. Love for freedom, a freedom that I and many others find and see in the mountains, and on the curvy mountain roads that speak to me so very much. (I am not actually on roads all that much. Off-trailing for the win.) The point is… *pauses for emphasis.* The point is, this land is your land. It is my land. It is an invitation to a higher way of life, a life where a man can make his own path in freedom and in justice, with laws made only to uphold what is true and righteous, not to constrict it. America is not a set of laws, it is a set of ideals. It is a pair of boots waiting to be broken in. It is a horn waiting to be blown, waiting to echo with valor in the hills of the faithful unknown. America is the land of the Free. America is the Home of the Brave. That would be you.
Now what am I debating against? Good question. But I want to be careful here. The American people are tired of the negativity. No one watches the news anymore, because all that plays is the song that the end of the world beats to. The world has been ending for ten thousand years, what is the big deal now? (I am not saying that they didn’t have nukes ten thousand years ago, but I am saying that they didn’t have nukes ten thousand years ago. But no one argued that but me, so blah.) Thoreau once said, “All good things are wild and free.” That would imply that good things are not constrained by fear and negativity. So what am I arguing for? I am arguing for the freedom of people. Your freedom. You see, it is the people, not the politicians, that I feel will change this nation. Politicians can only twist their crap as much as the people will believe, and the way I see it, people aren’t going to let their country fall away if they love it. People are sick of being told why they should hate their country. They are sick of being told why they should hate their life or feel guilty about it. So I am arguing that life is meant to be loved, and this country is meant to be lived in. Truly lived in. We are meant to be wild and free, to risk it all for something sweet as the morning sunrise coming still over mountains with a cup of coffee in your hand. And that, is why life is worth loving. And that is why this country is worth loving. Because it is the invitation to sunlit mornings and cool mountain air, with the sense that there is not a thing in your life you regret, because you chased the dreams of your heart till your boots wore thin and you finally came to peace.
I love America. It is my country. It is your country. And many people think of her as politics, or Fox News, the end times and the riots. And though we are facing riots, and we are facing the collapse of our Country, we have a shot, and it is the people. It will take courage. And as long as we are courageous, they will see us as fools. But rather be a fool in the eyes of the people, than a coward who never dared to try. So, will you stand with me? Let us shout a shout of freedom, a shout of valor, a shout of bravery. We read our stories and history books, where men lived in a time of revolution. We love Katniss, and Tris and the Fellowship, because they went out and stood where others sunk away. We love the founders because they fought and died for love of truth. We look at their times, we look at their stories, and think how wonderful, how terrible, it was that they were born in such a time as that. They weren’t. If they hadn’t been there, it wouldn’t have been there. If there hadn’t been whistle blowers, there would have been no heroism, there would have only been knives in the darkness and slit throats in the morning. No, they pulled the times of hardship on themselves, because they knew that they were meant for the greatness of freedom, and that the time was meant to be more. I am not saying start a riot, I am not saying we need a war, that is the last thing I am saying. What I am saying is this, we are called to be heroes. We were made for such a time as this. That is why we love Katniss, that is why we adore the rush of the soul when we watch Interstellar or American Sniper. We have in us the same that the founders had, we have the same ability that Martin Luther King Jr. had. It is not the ability we must attain, but the stance we must take. So what must be done? We must inspire people to love, to be free, to love freedom, to love their country. We must hoist the Red White and Blue high above us, crying to a people smothered in guilt and apathy, the truth. And the truth is, this land, America, is not a politician, it is not a social movement, it is not riots or revolutions or fashion fads. America is an opportunity governed by truth, justice and mercy, protected by the blood of our soldiers, guided by the courageous hearts of adventurous people, who are personally guided by God. America is wild and free. America is our Home. So stand, stand and proclaim hope and love to the Nation, that we may save her.
My plan was, initially, to write a post about current events, but I realized that my writing/blogging voice has been less about politics and more about the cry of my heart. To stand, and see those around me stand, to tie in with the one hope we have of seeing America become the land she was meant to be. You see, I love my country as much as almost any man or woman could, I am just too young to be able to show it. Chris Kyle, one of the greatest heroes of my life, put it perfectly when he said, “…God, Country and Family. And the order of the last two are debatable.” When I say that I would die for my country, I mean it. I think it is every ounce of worth it, and the people in it are precious to my heart. Because, essentially, America is the people, the people who hope and dream. Now, all that to say, my blog has been about America’s restoration via the voice of the people. And that is what I want to write about.
Today, we went to Shasta Dam. I am sure all of you have been there, but this was my first time. Now, I am a sucker for mountains. Give me four days of free time, and I will spend three days and twenty-three hours in the mountains, no questions asked. I also have a thing for roads, and have always been mesmerized by the risk of walking down the center of them. *kids, don’t try this at home.* No, but seriously. Today, I walked down the center of a curvy mountain road, my favorite Gurkha Cigar Trading Company backpack snuggly on my shoulders, and my combat boots moving with me as if they were a part of me. (After two years, I guess they kind of are.) During this walk, I was thinking about America, but more of how I see it than how the corporate/political world sees it. It is a wild idea, which is hoisted on the backs of lumbermen who hightailed it to the West with nothing but rifles and bibles, and made a home for themselves, a country. This is the country that has been built off of exploration, adventure, tried and tested faith, and most importantly, love. Love for freedom, a freedom that I and many others find and see in the mountains, and on the curvy mountain roads that speak to me so very much. (I am not actually on roads all that much. Off-trailing for the win.) The point is… *pauses for emphasis.* The point is, this land is your land. It is my land. It is an invitation to a higher way of life, a life where a man can make his own path in freedom and in justice, with laws made only to uphold what is true and righteous, not to constrict it. America is not a set of laws, it is a set of ideals. It is a pair of boots waiting to be broken in. It is a horn waiting to be blown, waiting to echo with valor in the hills of the faithful unknown. America is the land of the Free. America is the Home of the Brave. That would be you.
Now what am I debating against? Good question. But I want to be careful here. The American people are tired of the negativity. No one watches the news anymore, because all that plays is the song that the end of the world beats to. The world has been ending for ten thousand years, what is the big deal now? (I am not saying that they didn’t have nukes ten thousand years ago, but I am saying that they didn’t have nukes ten thousand years ago. But no one argued that but me, so blah.) Thoreau once said, “All good things are wild and free.” That would imply that good things are not constrained by fear and negativity. So what am I arguing for? I am arguing for the freedom of people. Your freedom. You see, it is the people, not the politicians, that I feel will change this nation. Politicians can only twist their crap as much as the people will believe, and the way I see it, people aren’t going to let their country fall away if they love it. People are sick of being told why they should hate their country. They are sick of being told why they should hate their life or feel guilty about it. So I am arguing that life is meant to be loved, and this country is meant to be lived in. Truly lived in. We are meant to be wild and free, to risk it all for something sweet as the morning sunrise coming still over mountains with a cup of coffee in your hand. And that, is why life is worth loving. And that is why this country is worth loving. Because it is the invitation to sunlit mornings and cool mountain air, with the sense that there is not a thing in your life you regret, because you chased the dreams of your heart till your boots wore thin and you finally came to peace.
I love America. It is my country. It is your country. And many people think of her as politics, or Fox News, the end times and the riots. And though we are facing riots, and we are facing the collapse of our Country, we have a shot, and it is the people. It will take courage. And as long as we are courageous, they will see us as fools. But rather be a fool in the eyes of the people, than a coward who never dared to try. So, will you stand with me? Let us shout a shout of freedom, a shout of valor, a shout of bravery. We read our stories and history books, where men lived in a time of revolution. We love Katniss, and Tris and the Fellowship, because they went out and stood where others sunk away. We love the founders because they fought and died for love of truth. We look at their times, we look at their stories, and think how wonderful, how terrible, it was that they were born in such a time as that. They weren’t. If they hadn’t been there, it wouldn’t have been there. If there hadn’t been whistle blowers, there would have been no heroism, there would have only been knives in the darkness and slit throats in the morning. No, they pulled the times of hardship on themselves, because they knew that they were meant for the greatness of freedom, and that the time was meant to be more. I am not saying start a riot, I am not saying we need a war, that is the last thing I am saying. What I am saying is this, we are called to be heroes. We were made for such a time as this. That is why we love Katniss, that is why we adore the rush of the soul when we watch Interstellar or American Sniper. We have in us the same that the founders had, we have the same ability that Martin Luther King Jr. had. It is not the ability we must attain, but the stance we must take. So what must be done? We must inspire people to love, to be free, to love freedom, to love their country. We must hoist the Red White and Blue high above us, crying to a people smothered in guilt and apathy, the truth. And the truth is, this land, America, is not a politician, it is not a social movement, it is not riots or revolutions or fashion fads. America is an opportunity governed by truth, justice and mercy, protected by the blood of our soldiers, guided by the courageous hearts of adventurous people, who are personally guided by God. America is wild and free. America is our Home. So stand, stand and proclaim hope and love to the Nation, that we may save her.