What Sana thinks of America
When Sana and I first met and began talking about marriage, I was terrified of what she would think of the culture of the United States. Here’s the accomplished woman of letters; adored by every student she’s ever known and universally respected by her colleagues and superiors in academia in Southeast Asia.
Now I’ll be taking her grocery shopping at Walmart.
If you’ve ever been to Walmart, you know why I was just a bit apprehensive about the idea.
Things such as “dumbing down” and “cultural decline” are real phenomena; with all the violence that has been in the news the last 5 years, it’s concerning. And I’m glad I was given the opportunity to live overseas for a lengthy period of time – so I could see that the earth really does continue to spin when people are indifferent to U.S. midterm elections, and who’s won NFL games on Sundays.
To be quite frank, one of the things that keeps me encouraged about the future of America is its past – particularly the founding era. Sure there were problems with how people thought at the time, just as there are problems today. But people inhabiting this land in the late 1700’s holding positions of political power had a certain conscientious way of going about their business that is rarely seen today.
Basically people were not of the opinion that the government should be responsible for their decisions. There was no universal health care, no food stamps, no welfare – and somehow people found ways to make things happen. I would say to the point that it led to growth in human achievement that had never been seen before – and might not ever be seen again.
People in this country were given liberty to be themselves, to speak and worship as they see fit – provided it doesn’t infringe on someone else’s right to do the same. It sounds so idealistic, almost cliche in today’s cynical culture, but it’s just the way people viewed the world in the not too distant past.
Another thing that gives me hope about this country, and why I can bring my Iranian wife to live here in good conscience, is people who conscientiously remember our past, and make serious efforts to keep those principles alive and well. No I’m not talking about voting for a particular party; I’m talking about simply educating one’s self and making life decisions based on the knowledge and convictions they hold. That’s really what made America special – not a campaign promise by a Republicrat.
If you’re still reading this, you must have a lot of faith in me for going the political route in my email when I don’t usually do so, so I appreciate that. And if what I’m about to offer doesn’t appeal to you, or if you think it’s in bad taste for me to bring up politics in my email, that’s fine, but I do so because there might be one or two people who are interested in what I’m sharing.
My friend Tom Woods is a heavy hitter in the media realm, particularly when it comes to the libertarian way of thinking. About 8 years ago, he began a website called Liberty Classroom. I’ve been a member of this program for many years, and I can say I’ve learned more from Tom’s writings and podcasts than maybe any other influential thinker – definitely more than the crapstorm I see on Twitter.
I won’t make this offer often on my email list, because politics is not a major thing I engage in publicly (nor privately for that matter). But I do want to make people aware of this very valuable service where I guarantee you’ll learn (and remember) more about American history and politics in one of Tom’s courses than you did in your entire k-12 education, maybe even college.
Here’s the link to check out Liberty Classroom if you’re so inclined: https://jnshub.com/libertyclassroom