America, how far we’ve fallen. I often receive criticism for expressing my feelings of regret and disdain for what is currently transpiring in the United States. It seems I’m not the only one.

People most often presume that I am ‘anti-american,’ just another bleeding-heart Liberal with pie-in-the-sky ideas of what society should, or could, be like. However, the tides seem to have changed in the past few months. With the release of millions of files pertaining to Epstein, an economy that is proving challenging for nearly everyone outside of the 1%, and an erosion of common ground between citizens, more attention than ever has become focused on what is going wrong in our country.

The issues are not self-contained, either. As a former operator of an Airbnb, which relied heavily on foreign visitors to the NYC area, I can say that I have seen an astronomical reduction of tourism in this area. Many countries are warning their citizens about traveling to the US, as well as issuing statements of concern about the FIFA World Cup, which is set to hold matches on American soil in just a few months. Even my international friends from across the globe are hyper-aware of what is happening here on a daily basis, and many of them reach out to me in concern, and to verify that the situation is truly as described on their local network television.

As much as we like to pretend that politics is a ‘taboo’ topic of conversation, our current situation has transcended that barrier. Now, everything is politics, and it is the very nature of our society that is being called into question. People are dying. People are being kidnapped. Children are being harmed. Laws are being desecrated. Everything that America professes to be feels as though it is a distant memory.

More than anything, my purpose in writing these articles is two-fold.

  1. It is a way to catalogue events, and create a blueprint to the many aspects at play in this unprecedented time in American history. May future generations look back and learn the important lesson that we seem to be overlooking today - those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it.

  2. It is a way to intellectualize these events, in order to deal with the emotional turmoil left in their wake.

Most likely to my detriment, I cannot seem to separate myself from these regressions in the values of the country that I love. After all, no one spends this much time and effort criticizing something that they don’t love. I consider myself a fierce patriot, who understands the challenges that face us as a nation, and how many can be solved through unified action.

On many days, it feels as though there is no hope. Unbelievable headlines flash across our screens multiple times per day, a steady rampage of misinformation and inflammatory language. By the time that the topic is half-digested by the general public, another scandal has risen to the surface to redirect our attention once more. If you feel as though there is nothing normal about what is currently happening under this regime, you’re not alone. It is easy to feel that way, because the system has been designed to achieve that effect - divide and conquer.

I would say that the approach of resigning to a hearty condemnation and retreating to focus entirely and unapologetically on your own life is the most-common, although I don’t think that this will be sufficient if we attempt to instate monumental change. Progress is rarely made in times of stability, and it feels as though we are being propelled towards less and less order faster than ever. Nevertheless, there are some things that we can do to ensure that our voices and intentions are being heard.

Firstly, just the act of being aware of what is happening is an act of patriotism. One of the fundamental properties of a true democracy is the ability of its constituents to criticize it. Alas, that is why we have amended it so often, and continuously work to add new legal guardrails to our republic. Therefore, you should never feel guilty for speaking out against people who seek to harm our national institutions, even if those people are currently in positions of leadership.

Beyond this, it is important to be exceptionally gracious during this time. Approach situations with the attitude that you would ultimately like to receive in turn, knowing that we are all going through a difficult time, even if we find ourselves on opposite sides of the political or social spectrum. One of the things that sincerely makes America great is the willingness to accept people from all over the world, and learn and celebrate their cultures here, too. The notion that any one group has more claim to this country is little more than absurd, and entirely antithetical to our founding principles.

Making micro-changes is crucial, as well. For me, this can be anything from extending a helping hand to a neighbor with a mundane task, like shoveling snow, or donating some supplies to a local shelter. Book that shift to volunteer at the soup kitchen, and instill in your children that service to others is among the most-important of the underpinnings of our society.

Finally, I call on all of us to believe. I generally use writing as a medium through which I channel and generate hope for the future, as it is often hard to summon in the midst of daily difficulties. Still, we must collectively have faith that we will ultimately work these issues out, and move forward. We have done it so many times before as a country, and that same spirit does still exist. It feels closer than ever before.

If there is a singular trait shared by Americans, and those who call the United States home, it is the unrelenting belief in self and sovereignty. Americans understand that the only way to approach the impossible is with the predetermination that nothing, in the face of perseverance, is truly insurmountable.

I know that this might appear as a jumble of emotions without a clear theme, and that is a fair assessment, in many ways. However, I am being truthful in terms of what I believe about my country, and I know that this work will prove useful moving forward. We will figure this out.

I felt it during 9/11. I felt it during COVID. I felt it when I got my second chance at life. It remains, and, so long as this is true, so does America.

We fall so that we can learn to pick ourselves up. Let us hope that we learn this difficult, but necessary, lesson very soon.