American life reflection

I am an American and I have to say that I have mixed feelings about my country. It is a very generous nation, with many programs to help other countries. In fact, two of the richest Americans gave half of their assets to charity.

Most of my friends in California do voluntary work to help various causes. I personally helped with TV health programs, getting medical care to Mexico, and with feeding the poor locally.

On the bad side, the US intelligence agencies and military would get involved with other countries in a way that were often unproductive and destructive. For example, many think the war with Iraq 2003 was unnecessary and misguided. (After all, the perpetrators of the USA 9/11/2001 attack were mostly from Saudi Arabia.)

However we always were good with elections and enjoyed a peaceful transfer of power --- that is, until Trump came along.

Of note, Hillary Clinton received three million more votes than Trump in 2016. If it was not for America's antiquated Electoral College voting system, the USA and the world would not have had to endure his boisterous incompetence. Now Trump faces investigations into his many legal troubles, including his leadership role in the insurrection on January 6th of 2021.

Recently, my neighbor here went back to Georgia, USA for a month. He said it was odd the people there were not friendly. He had become used to the friendlier, more relaxed life here. He had retired from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as a software engineer.

Other foreigners who return to their home country tell similar stories. They might say they get better medical care there and the garbage situation is far better, but they still miss the Philippines.

I am learning that the American cultural view is not the only way of looking at the world, and that America being the richest country does not automatically mean it is the best country.

The Philippines is now the second happiest country in Southeast Asia, according to the 2022 World Happiness Report (WHR).

Here is something odd to report: I was a good student and it was never mentioned in school that America had invaded Canada or that the Philippines was a colony of America.

I am wondering if all the governments of the world edit their classroom history books to increase patriotism?

Richard Baker Dumaguete City