One way that my American heritage has influenced my life is in my competitive nature. I do not participate in sports because I am unathletic, but I have been involved in debate, model United Nations, and mock trial. I love the spirit of the fight, and I also love to win. Lincoln-Douglas was my favorite activity before I ever had a trophy, but qualifying for the state tournament on my birthday was one of the best presents I received. And when I do better than other people on the math test or the SAT, I am pleased not only that I did well but also that I have won. My goal is to become a lawyer, an inherently competitive field, not only in getting a job, but within the job itself. I am sometimes made to feel guilty about this aspect of my personality, but I enjoy it and I have no desire to change. When I went to Japan I discovered how truly American this trait is. Our chaperone, Mr. Scanlon, went to table tennis, one of the after school activities, and played a game with a boy there. He was very excited because he was able to hold his own, although he had not played in years, and did not consider himself to be good. After the game was over, he saw the same boy playing at a much higher level at another table. The Japanese boy was not interested in winning the game so much as in playing the game, which could only be done effectively by "going easy" on Mr. Scanlon. Almost every student who came to talk to me began by asking me what my hobby was, and in the beginning I attempted to explain the concept of debate to them, but they couldn't grasp it. I don't believe it was an issue of language, but rather one of culture. They didn't understand that I would spend my time arguing with other people for fun, and I eventually gave up and mentioned theater in its place. Yet everywhere I have gone in America, people have known what debate was, and that I would enjoy doing it has never been questioned.
A similar aspect of my American heritage is the fact that I am very individualistic, where other cultures such as the Japanese tend to be team oriented. Even when on a team Americans often focus on the individual. We reward the most valuable player instead of saying that everybody won the game together. We give roses to the star and the other actors fade into the background despite their necessity to make the lead great. I am very much a loner, and would rather do the whole project myself than have to depend on other people and have others depend on me. In Japan I found this is just not the case. The entire mentality seems to be different. For instance, within the class the students have a homeroom, and they spend the entire day with the same people like we did in elementary school. This is a very significant factor in their lives: it is where they have the majority of their friends, and they become a singular entity, which is something I have no way to relate to. It is extremely important for them to fit in with this group and be part of it, because if they don't, there is no place else for them to go. I like my individual perspective, but I must recognize that it is a product of my heritage.
Another way that my middle-class American background has permeated my life is in the things that I take for granted. Certainly one of those things is democracy, but perhaps more significant is the idea that democracy is an important thing. Americans tend to have a superior attitude, and express pity for those who do not have the vote, assuming that they would want it. It is easy for me, in my comfortable position, to say that I would sacrifice anything for my liberty. But Bertrand Russell posed the question, "If one man offers you democracy and another offers you a bag of grain, at what level of starvation will you prefer the grain to the vote?" It is a striking reminder that when a person is hungry that is all that matters. Who his leaders are is of remarkably little significance to his life. Having never experienced this type of poverty myself, I find it hard to understand that so many people resent America when I am so proud of it. And yet we are five percent of the population using up 25 percent of the resources in the world, and I am not willing to sacrifice this position. Still, I find myself ahead of most people simply because I recognize this situation.
Another aspect of America that I take for granted is my freedom of choice. My mother wants me to remain a Catholic, but once I leave home there is nothing she can do about the fact that I consider myself agnostic. Other countries have national religions. I am currently faced with the decision of where to attend college, and have thousands of schools to choose from. I can go anywhere that I can get in. My Russian exchange student Sveta tells me there are only two universities she can attend. There are hundreds of majors I can pursue, and many times more careers. I can change my mind at any time, and probably will. And even though I want to be a lawyer I can get a summer job working on computers. Other countries designate what each citizen will do with his life. Even as a senior in high school I have great freedom in the classes I take, the one thing Sveta seems most amazed by. I can take a class that is above my level of ability, and it is my responsibility to face the consequences. I can choose to take physics or environmental science or astronomy or no science at all. Only two of my classes for the year are actually required for graduation, and I even have choice in those. If I believed in political parties I could join any one I pleased. Other countries have only one. I could even choose to criticize the government. When I want to travel between states or to another country I can do so freely. Other countries won't allow citizens to leave. The number of choices I have to make in my life is often overwhelming, and I sometimes wish that they weren't there, but I would surely regret it if they were gone.
I take it for granted that I will wake up in the morning and there will be food on the table, water, and electricity. I take it for granted that the government in charge will be the same as yesterday and the Constitution will still be in place. I take it for granted that I can speak my mind without fear of punishment or censorship. I take it for granted that I am protected by the most powerful military in the world, and my house will not be bombed by the country we're at war with today. I take it for granted that the government cannot infringe on my privacy without just cause or subject me to punishment without proving that I have committed a crime. These are not things that most people can claim. It is only because I am an American that I can say this. Looking to my past is useful in determining who I am and why, but the most important thing is where I go from here. I don't know where life will take me or how it will affect my identity, but I do know that the life I have ahead will be more important in determining my personality than my cultural ethnicity has ever been. Where I come from is not significant. Where I go, and what I do when I get there will determine who I am.
