America was built by several different people coming together for a common goal. The common goal between them was to be free. The United States is viewed as the melting pot. This means we have a variety of different people, races, beliefs, and languages here. With many different types of people perhaps we have more in common to bring us together then what divides us. The Washington Post, a newspaper company, sent interviewers and photographers across America to ask what unites us as Americans. With around 100 interviews accumulated the article, “What Unites Us?” was created. This gives seven core values that everyday American citizens claim what it means to be part of the United States. I have connected with three core values out of the seven. The first core value I connected with was Fear of the Future. The worry of our county’s success and our own personal success in life. The second value that struck me was Opportunity and Drive. Such a blessing to be able to make a life that we want to enjoy. Lastly, the third value I choose was Freedom and Fundamental Rights. Everyone has the same rights no matter the differences.
The first core value I chose was fear of the future. Fearing anything is natural for human nature. We fear our countries success and our own personal adventures being successful. However, fear cannot control us. We must keep working to move forward in our lives. In one interview about fearing of the future Jim Wolf gave his thoughts. He says, “Whether people are able to do the hard work, they still appreciate the fact that it’s hard work that kind of gets us the things that we want and the things that we need here” (“What Unites Us?”). I think what Mr. Wolf is trying to say is hard work is what built this country and what keeps it going. We might fear what is ahead but keep working hard. In the case of Nohemi Hernandez she talks about being an American. She says, “Limitations weren’t anything I could overcome. I could never say, ‘If I try hard enough I’ll be American on paper.’ The dream is definitely there, but you have to be ready for it not to be fair” (“What Unites Us?”). The work she is putting into becoming a citizen is hard. To receive a citizenship, it can take up to 8 years, in some cases. She had many fears including the process and possible rejection. This reminds me of a current event happening in my life. I moved to Texas, a little over a month ago, from Georgia to pursue my radiology career. I have had some struggles with doing this. First, I had to move from my friends and family. In which was very difficult for me to pack up my belongs and leave home 19 hours away. Secondly, I’m having to retake classes right now. Transferring credits didn’t go as planned. This has been difficult, but I can’t worry about it. My hard work will pay off if fear doesn’t control my actions. I can think about the fear and have a second plan. However, I don’t need to let fear take over my actions. There is another side to fear of the future and that’s in our county. This side does not have to do with a personal level situation; this is the side of a national issue problem. In an interview with Pat Thompson he talks about news officials. He says, “If media had a bias that they want to push, it makes it scary to dig into what’s out there. I’d like things to get to the truth” (“What Unites Us?”). His statement is true to the world we live in today. We struggle with media feeding us lies and manipulating the truth. This can put fear into us that is not real. False representation is becoming normal to do on social media and other platforms. This adds more fear looking ahead to our future.