When I decided that I would attend an American high school, lots of people asked me this question: What is America to you? To be honest, I had no idea how to answer this question because the only information I received was that America is a country where everyone has equal opportunities and shares the same rights. But now, I am confident enough to answer this question as I have been in the US for almost three-years. I am going to use four spirits— independent spirit, fighting spirit, fair spirit, and generous and tolerant spirit— to respond to the question: “What does it mean to be “American?” These four are the most important areas that all the Chinese students or even international students should know beforehand.
Firstly, independence is as much a part of the American spirit as it is a part of the American character. There are no parents in America who will purposely teach their children the importance of their independence. However, the whole nation always practices, interprets and advocates independence in every word and action. Therefore, American children have a strong sense of independence from childhood. I put this spirit as the first one because I’ve seen and met so many strong, independent American
students. One of my friends told me that Americans believe that if a person depends on others for basic materials, he is bound to be threatened and coerced by others. Only when a person is economically independent can he be independent in other aspects such as politics, ideals, and morality. This kind of belief in independence is not just only embodied by one or two individuals. Almost everyone in America is brought up with the idea that "my destiny is not up to my god." In social communication, they do still trust others, but trust and admire themselves more. Every American child has the right to make his own decision, and when they grow up, they are encouraged to leave his parents and fight for himself.
Second of all, from the arrival of the first English immigrants to North America, this rich in resource and treacherous land has nurtured generations of frontier, hard-headed Americans. Many young people in the United States naturally assume that the advantages of their parents' generation are the result of their struggle and that each person's life is their creation and struggle. When there is a problem, Americans will not blame other people for their own mistake. Everyone is aware that the United States Army is the strongest in the world. I think the reason for that is that the army leader attaches great importance to the advantages of military academies and military practices. Spirit education runs through the whole process of officers' and men's military life to ensure continuity and long-term education. Therefore, the U.S. military attaches great importance to training, exercises, and operations to temper and test the military will.
Thirdly, a fair spirit is another essential quality. Privilege exists in every society, and the United States is no exception. However, personal struggle and effort and a spirit of independence are also crucial. To truly start a business, we need a relatively fair environment for entrepreneurship and competition. Whether rich or poor, noble or humble, since we are competing on the same line, it is best to face fair and objective conditions. One of the great examples is that on July 4th, 1776, the United States Declaration of Independence proclaimed the words "natural human rights" and "all men are created equal.” Because the founding fathers believe that everyone should have the same rights, for hundreds of years, people from all over the world have come to the United States because they think of it as a country of opportunity. If someone gets the talent and hard working, he or she does deserve a fair chance to get what he wants
Lastly, I think the generous and tolerant spirit is the one that usually gets overlooked by some people. But let me show you a simple example of how Americans show the world how important this spirit is. On September 11th, 2001, the top of the World Trade Center was hit by a plane. People upstairs were not particularly panicked as they made their way down through the exits. The civilians went down, and the fireman went up. When women, children, and blind people arrived at the stairway, people automatically made way to go first. People even gave way to a pet puppy. Calm in the face of death should be said to be based on daily good quality, but also reflects their inner strength. You might say these are just typical events, but in general, Americans, no matter where they fit in the society, have a lot in common; their attitude toward life has never changed.
In conclusion, I believe that America’s success during the last century is not by accident. Some people might say that the reason why America is so successful is because the international currency is US dollars, so the American government can print as much money as they wish. I would not deny this is a fair reason and this really helps the economy of the US by a lot. But we also cannot forget that there are still other reasons that can explain why the US is the strongest country in the world. I only name four of them, so I wish all the international students learn America well before they come, because you can only fit in an environment when you know how this environment functions.
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