One of the greatest things about being an American is that the citizens of this country always seem to be more united after a time of either grief or jubilation.
There are not many, if any, other countries that could recover so quickly from approximately 3,000 of its citizens losing their lives in a matter of seconds.
The terrorists who executed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks might have caused America a lot of hardships, but they did not take away the pride that many United States citizens have in their country.
The United States also showed a lot of patriotism in rejoicing over Osama bin Laden’s death.
There was a sense of justice that many citizens felt when bin Laden was killed by Navy SEALs Team Six, especially considering he was the primary person involved in the coordinating of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
It was nice to see America show a great deal of patriotism in both situations, but why can’t United States citizens show that level of patriotism all of the time?
There are countless reasons to be thankful to be an American every day.
It makes sense for Americans to be as patriotic or not patriotic after something happens that has a serious impact on the entire country, depending on whether it is good or bad, but there is no reason to be patriotic only for certain occasions.
Patriotism should be a lifestyle that shines through anything citizens do every day of the week, no matter what.
Sept. 11, 2001 and bin Laden’s death will be two events that most Americans will always remember, but it seemed like shortly after each event that Americans became complacent with how the country responded, and then forgot how special it is to be U.S. citizen.
America has the strongest military, police force and other emergency response units in the world but many times they seem to go unnoticed.
Despite how much Americans complain about the government and unemployment, the United States has had the most stable government in the world over the past two centuries. America is still considered to be the land of opportunity.
There is not a country in the world that has more diversity and is more accepting of different races.
These are just a few main reasons why Americans should be thankful for the country they live in every day and not just for certain events or holidays.
If Americans are more patriotic about the everyday blessings of being a United States citizen, America will not have to worry about coming together as a country when there is a tragedy; we will already have a united front.
Reflecting on how the United States came together during this time 10 years ago is a good way to remember to be patriotic and to start to be thankful for what it means to be an American.
