If there’s anything I wanted to see before I die it had to be an op-ed from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the American public via The New York Times. It gave me goose bumps seeing a former Communist and KGB officer not only shame our president on Syria, but also lecture on American exceptionalism.
Unfortunately our own president has such a misunderstanding of American exceptionalism that Putin could make comment on it. And he did.
Putin criticized Americans for seeing themselves as exceptional, and stated the danger of encouraging people to excel to higher goals.
I’m sure Putin would know how dangerous it is to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional. A leader like Putin is not usually into the whole “freedom” thing.
Putin fails to understand American exceptionalism, like our president and other Americans. Therefore, it is vital for our generation to understand what American exceptionalism is, and why we mustn’t let anyone like Putin define it.
To be clear, there isn’t anything in our biology that makes us exceptional. As many have pointed out, we are not better people nor superior to anyone else. Rather, it is our countries ideals that are superior, due to our firm and unshakable origin as a free nation.
America is exceptional because its foundation is exceptional. It is because of our fundamental principles that America is so unique in history. With our unalienable rights secured, we can – or should be able to – live without fear of government oppression, and let our talents and desires grow to their full potential. Our country encourages us to be the best we can be, and throughout our history this has shown true.
We can build our own lives and legacies through our own actions.
You do the same thing in school. It is your work that determines your success. In the cases of Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, it was their hard work and determination that brought success and allowed them to fulfill their dreams. It was them, just as it is you – there is no larger force determining your success.
As the future of America we have to remember that someone else is not going to do anything for us. We will have some help along the way, but ultimately we will build our own lives and futures. Not everyone has the luxury of saying that in their home country.
This is why America will continue to be exceptional. The day we dispose of our founding principles is the day we cease to be exceptional, and the day Putin’s comments may hold weight.
Andrew Jenson
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