Why be an American?  My mind has often worked over the answer to this question.  The solution tells me being an American is special, a privilege.  If people were reborn, their chances of landing in a beautiful and prosperous country like America would be like winning the lottery.  Being an American gives you the power to lead your life; the power to become what you want; the power to go where you want and to decide how you get there.

It is hard to analyze what type of an American citizen I am.  What am I through the eyes of my friends?  Educated?  Nerdy?  Caring?  Self-interested?  I find my heart aches when I see an impoverished man in his soiled clothes while ritzy Mercedes and Cadillacs flash by.  My stomach becomes knotted when I read of tragic happenings to families.  I feel sorrow when seeing a home devastated by war, hatred, and petty disputes.  I find I am a caring American who wishes to help people going through unfortunate and traumatic times.

Yet, being an American means I have selfish traits.  Spoiled by the cornucopia of our country, it's hard to imagine what the conditions of people in undeveloped countries are like.  Because I am American, the thought passing through my head is, "What's for dinner tonight?" instead of, "Are we eating anything today?"  Without the pain of going hungry and sleeping under a tattered blanket in a rickety shack, I do not have as much understanding of how to become the ideal American I want to be.

And what is that ideal American?  If the American I want to be is ridiculed, it's only because the critic has a different set of parameters as to  the ideal American.  The ideal American to me is what makes me feel warm inside; what makes me feel I am doing the right thing.  I have visions of that kind of American: loving, compassionate, responsible, peaceful, and a leader.  One able to lend a hand not just to any other American, but an Asian, a European, an Indian, or any other human being of this planet.

Some Americans become national leaders, others find success in forestry, another handful are detectives.  We each have a special place, and my special place is in a close family with the ability to sense when people are in need.  Though I feel it, I don't act most of the time.  I'm too spoiled by what this country offers.  What makes me a proud, satisfied American is when I lend my services to pick up spilled groceries or see my money slip into the hands of one in need.  That is the American I want to be.