I absolutely love America. I love it not because of “heritage,” or simply because of the accident of my being born here, but because of the virtues it represents and the opportunities that it affords individuals. My love for America is similar to the immigrant’s love: that of choice — of examining the landscape in an educated fashion and determining that the United States is truly the greatest country on Earth. There is nowhere else I’d rather live, no other country I’d rather lend my loyalty to.

America was founded as a beacon of classical liberal sentiment: of individualism, of religious tolerance, of free enterprise. It was an imperfect endeavor at its beginning, of course, but it was simply inevitable that we’d correct ourselves as we went along — it was impossible not to, given our virtues. President Clinton put it best, perhaps, when he said that “there is nothing wrong with America that can’t be fixed by what’s right with America.” When the words “all men are made equal” were enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, they proved stronger than the barbarism of slavery or the backwardness of limited suffrage. The momentum of freedom and liberty overcame our most glaring shortcomings. And still too should it continue to, in the hearts of free men (America, after all, is more than its federal government).

Those who were born here should reflect once in a while upon just how lucky they are. We are a country of roughly 300,000,000, or roughly a twentieth of the Earth’s population. The crude math alone says that there is a ninety-five percent chance that one will be born outside of America. Simply by being born in America, you’ve essentially won life’s lottery. I personally reflect even further — as most readers will be able to relate to — to think of how I was also born with the gift of intellect, health, and financial security.

And yet, so many of us remain unhappy from day to day.

Perhaps some of that unhappiness — that ungratefulness — would fade if we’d simply ‘count our blessings’ every so often. Being born in America is a fantastic opportunity to build a beautiful life for one’s self and one’s family. The virtues of our people have proved enduring. These virtues have created the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.

Today, we tip our collective hat to our Founding Fathers, our veterans, our military, and those people — exceptional and unexceptional — who have built the foundation for us to live freely. Happy Independence Day!