Some people are proud to be an American because of our military might and economic prowess. Some people are proud to be an American because of the character of its citizens. Of course, generally it is a combination of the a number of things and a different combination for most. Some are not proud to be an American for any reason.
It is hard to be proud when we are not living up to the ideals we as Americans like to think we possess. I would rather be proud of the nation because of the character of its people. This is a tougher thing, because we like to believe that we are often better than we really are, that our goals or reasons for doing are for the best reasons. Our reasons for doing or being are becoming less honorable as the years go by, I think.
It is interesting to me to hear people say, "I'm proud to be an American." Some say that with regard to our outgoing president. Some say such a thing at the prospect of our incoming president. I wonder how things will change with this new president - will we be proud because of what we accomplish and less because of the character of citizens or the other way around?
