[제 2회 드림에세이 수상작] Haemi Shin - 'Just One Thing'
Grade: 12 / High School: Sunny Hills High School
Let’s be real. America is not Disneyland – it is not the happiest place on Earth. Not everyone has a house with a white picket fence or two cars with garage space still to spare. The striking headline news currently concerning this great nation is the spiraling economy and a disgruntled populace. Reality stripped of all its perks and shining armor hurts. Every American at some point in their life has faced the vices of this merciless world – has had dreams crushed and expectations dashed. Yet for some indescribable reason, America still seems to be the beacon of hope and a land of opportunity. The ever growing rate of unemployment or the increasing national debt is only a stain to the greater picture. America remains and continues to be the land which breeds inspiration and renewed optimism.
America is a colorful nation. For the past three hundred years in the history of this country, America has become the home of people from all over the world. It may be unusual for anyone in another nation to see a person of a different shade of color besides their own, but for the average American, it is simply a part of life. What is so attractive and appealing about America is that it embraces the individual differences of each person. Every major ethnicity celebrates its own tradition and culture through festivities and even every day life. And still, in the very core of their identity is the conviction that no matter where they are from, they are a proud American at heart.
This prevalent mood of acceptance pervades also to those with differing preferences in life. Only recently, I encountered a guy, a college student, who was gay. Yes, a person who is attracted – not to the opposite sex – but the same sex. Since I had never met such a person before, I had wondered how varied life could be for a person who was clearly in the minority and misunderstood by the majority. Curious, I asked if he had ever felt discriminated or slighted for simply being gay.
To my surprise, he replied with an easy assurance that no, he had never felt or been discriminated by others for simply being himself. Clearly, a nation so tolerant and acceptant as the United States is rare and hard to find. It is true that this level of toleration is a recent achievement that developed over several decades; nevertheless, it is a characteristic that Americans should be proud of and boast about. Americans have learned, through its experience with a diverse population, that there is no flaw in living the life that one desires. Individual conflicts and societal controversies may remain, but America as a whole will not dare judge a person for his or her preference in living life. That would simply be un-American.
The high standard of living, the public education, the freedom of speech – they are all noble traits of this dear nation, but are useless at the face of adversity to the common man. America knows it. She knows that life is full of trials and tribulations. America is no utopia. Yet just as all the sickness, pain, suffering, and evils were unleashed by Pandora’s box, the one thing that remains and is so crucial to the whole entity of America, is hope.
This nation was built on hope – hope that in America, there is a chance for a better life, for the Pilgrim, the Irish, the Jew, the Chinese, everyone. The United States may be in an economic crisis at the moment, but no matter how challenging times may be, America does not lose hope. The difference that makes living in America far superior than any other nation is that hope runs through our blood – it is the heart of all motivation and success. Without hope, we have nothing; but because we have hope, we have everything. That is life in America.