Avery K. Tingle, The Gamer Author

Nineteen years ago, America was exposed. 

We all remember where we were. It’s more important to consider where we’re going. 

We call ourselves the greatest country in the world. What exactly does that mean? 

We have more rights and freedoms than most other developed countries. We can openly criticize our government. We can own and operate firearms with little restriction. We can pursue our own versions of happiness.

Does that make us the best? 

Are we the smartest? The most educated? The most willing to sacrifice for others? Are our poorest citizens taken care of? 

Or are we just the loudest? 

What does it mean to be the best? Between two individuals, it’s an even competition in which one emerges the victor. Between countries, deciding the best becomes a lot more convoluted.

There are freedoms we enjoy in America that you may not find anywhere else in the civilized world. I would not have wanted to be born and raised anywhere else. Just because I love my country does not mean I don’t recognize her flaws. 

America has a very dark history with people of color. This is a cancer that goes all the way to its core. We are besieged by so-called “real Americans” deigning that this country solely belongs to them. And there are a great many people, too many of them in power, who are willing to do anything to see white men permanently at the top of the American hierarchy with everyone else quiet and grateful for the opportunity to live here. 

The good news is, we are finally beginning to acknowledge America’s racist core. The bad news is that many people have died–and will continue to die–as this is reckoned with. 

It’s in this reckoning that we are seeing what American greatness is about. It’s every cop who spoke out against their corrupted brethren. It’s every human who rose up against the Proud Boys and every other hate group. It’s the protests against police brutality. The people who chose to make this battle their own. That is where American greatness lies. 

It’s one thing to recognize a problem. It’s another thing entirely to make it your problem. Those who have, they are the best of us. 

I don’t know if we are the greatest country in the world. I don’t know that such a thing is possible with so many factors. I do know this: nineteen years after the towers came down, we have reached a zenith of racial tensions in this country. In order to be the best, we have to be willing to own our flaws. Then we have to accept that all citizens are equal. And that we can provide help to our poorest and those who need it. 

Upon achieving that, we can lay claim to the title. Until then, we should continue to strive towards it. That is how we honor everyone who not only died nineteen years ago, but came together as equals to rescue survivors. 

Thanks for reading. 

Dedicated to the enduring memory of September 11, 2001.

Avery K. Tingle is a retired hellraiser and current author living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. He writes Battle Scifi/Fantasy (Star Wars meets Street Fighter) that’s currently available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes& Noble, and most other major retailers.

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