Americans Must Learn Humility Because Our Country Has Committed Horrible Atrocities

Your tips are greatly appreciated! Upgrade at 30% offI grew up in a family that called itself “great.” That’s all I ever heard, “Boy, you sure were lucky to be born into the best family on the planet. No other family in history is as good as yours. I expect you to show daily deference and gratitude for your good fortune.”My relatives on my father’s side had a reputation for being “boisterous.” From their perspective, they were loud and lived life to the fullest. They loved to be the center of attention. However, as I grew older, I found that their antics rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.My father instantly dismissed anyone who dared to criticize his family. He called them “jerks.” He said they were “jealous.” The suggestion that our family had any problems was off limits. You see, we were “great” we were “exceptional” we were the “best family that had ever existed.” If you saw a problem, there was something wrong with you.I was in my twenties before I realized I’d grown up in an abusive environment. As a child, you just put your head down and get to work. You’re powerless to change things, so you do what you can to survive.When people claim something is “great” loud enough and long enough, the result is that you begin to doubt yourself when you perceive a problem. Since you’re never allowed to fix the external problems, the only remaining option is to find fault with yourself. You’re forced to carry the invisible burden that’s a consequence of the crimes of others.The United States of America uses the tired claims of “exceptionalism” to browbeat the whole population into ignoring our country’s very real shortcomings. This is a country that has committed atrocities, and it will continue to commit atrocities unless we embrace a dramatic change in our culture.Traditional valuesHumility is a traditional value isn’t it? It’s odd that the same people who insist that America is “exceptional” are the ones who tout the importance of “traditional values.”Contradictory beliefs seem to be the default setting of the American psyche. If you believe in the importance of humility, you can’t stomp around bleating about how your country is the “greatest ever.”Let’s try humility instead. Let’s recognize that our country has problems. Here are some to consider:* Our country is 36+ trillion dollars in debt* The US has the world’s largest prison population* The US has more mass shootings than any other country* The US has the most expensive healthcare system in the world* The US healthcare system is not as good as that of other developed nations* Millions of children live in poverty in the US* Women have lost their bodily autonomy in the US* Education in the US costs more than almost any other country* American students do not perform well compared to students of other developed nations* Racism is a major issue in the United StatesThis list is only the beginning. The point is that every time we say “America is the greatest country” it represents an act of denial. We shouldn’t be wasting our energy pounding our chest and insisting on our “greatness” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.Instead, we should take a more humble approach, recognize that we have flaws, and work to fix them.The problem right now is that our insistence that our country is “great” makes the whole population disinclined to acknowledge or address our problems. But these problems aren’t going away. They’re festering. They’re getting bigger. In fact, our nation’s problems have grown to the point where they threaten the future of our children.Perhaps they threaten the existence of the entire human race.The evils of nationalismIn the early 2000s, I met a young man from Germany named Andreas. He was about 19, and I distinctly remember that he carried an enormous amount of guilt due to the atrocities committed by his country. He never indulged in arguments like, “It’s not my fault because I wasn’t alive back then.” Instead, he was committed to contributing to a better future.Andreas was the first person I’d ever met who found the idea of nationalism offensive. As an American raised on a diet of rampant nationalism, I struggled with the concept of national accountability. Naturally, it was easy for me to find fault with Germany, but Americans need to be challenged to find fault with the United States.The United States is guilty of genocide against the native people of the American continent.Slavery in the United States represents one of the most horrific abuses of human beings that has ever been committed.Yet, Americans are disinclined to accept these historical facts in favor of standing diligently with their hands over their hearts reciting the pledge of allegiance. I grew up within this culture of brainwashing too, that’s why Andreas’s perspective was jarring to me.If I said something like, “America is a great country,” he would give me a stern look that contained traces of fear. “No nationalism,” he’d say simply. In the United States, we barely even discuss the dangers of nationalism.Kicking the can down the roadPart of the problem with Americans is that they’ve been conditioned not to spend time with people from other countries. The same thing was true for me when I was growing up in my abusive household. We were discouraged from making friends outside the family. We were expected to only be friends with our cousins and other relatives.It’s easier to maintain a corrupt belief system when you limit outside influences. I strongly believe this is why foreign language is so often disregarded in public schools. Americans say things like, “If anyone wants to talk to me, then they have to learn English.”Learning a foreign language is a joy. Learning foreign cultures is a joy. If you take the leap, you might find you discover a life philosophy that more easily aligns with the yearnings of your soul.When I first started interacting with people from other countries, I was an embarrassment. I found Americans are conditioned to take all the credit when something goes right, and deny all blame when things go wrong. The result is that we’re constantly leaving messes around for other people to clean up. The lack of humility and lack of accountability makes us a detriment to virtually any social group.The mess doesn’t go away because you deny its existence. Somebody will have to clean it up.The value of humilityFortunately for me, I met people who were willing to tolerate my faults as I worked to first perceive and then improve on my egotistical cultural attitude. However, this is a lifelong process. Humility is something you learn when you fail a class, or you get fired from a job, or a relationship ends.It’s not fun, but if you recognize your fault in the matter you’re empowered to evolve into a better person.Those who deny the results of the 2020 election are a recent, disgraceful example. Only in America, where the population is trained to believe they’re “exceptional” despite all our clear and obvious mistakes, would such a lie ever be effective.It’s pathetic and childish.The next time somebody starts lecturing about how every problem in our country is a result of abandoning traditional values, bring up humility. You should also bring up accountability. Right now, our national identity is to behave like a spoiled brat who throws a temper tantrum every time things don’t go his way.This attitude isn’t working. We need to be accountable for our mistakes. We need to learn to be humble and do the work necessary to become responsible citizens of the world.You all make this newsletter happen! Thanks for your sponsorship! I have payment tiers starting at as little as twenty dollars a year.Upgrade at 30% offUpgrade at 40% offUpgrade at 50% offUpgrade at 60% offI'm so happy you're here, and I'm looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.My CoSchedule referral linkHere’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).I'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe