Dear Quiet

I’ve been in the United States for most of my life, though I wasn’t born here.

I came with my family when I was a child. The plane flight was my first, and I was so thrilled to be up in the sky!

And I loved the United States pretty much immediately. Of course, my eyes had already grown big watching all those Hollywood movies and TV shows. And Guns N Roses had completely blown my mind x-]

But… today, am I patriotic? What does that even mean?

To me, it means doing the best with the country you’ve got.

It doesn’t mean to be bitter because you don’t like your country’s history. If that were the case (and I say this as a history buff) no country could claim to be patriotic.

History, my friends, is bloody. ALL of it. The United States isn’t unique in this. What is unique about the US is its short history (250 years compared to China’s over 8,000 years…) but I digress.

To me, being patriotic means loving your country in general, and doing the best with what you’ve got in the present moment.

You may have peaceful times at present, or a giant mess at present. Doesn’t mean you hurt anyone or anything. It means you figure out how you can help your country (and everyone in it), and you do it.

If that means studying up on your local laws and candidates, you do it. If that means canvassing and going out to educate your local community, you do it.

If that means voting differently, you do it.

To me, it means doing all you can to make things better, not actively making things worse because you’re angry.

Am I patriotic right now? (Deep breath). I think we could be doing better, to say the least.

Take care,
Dear Quiet

signal/log: 2.16.2026
achievement_unlocked: landmines avoided
status: cautiously/optimistic