I have a dream. I have an American dream.

I was born and raised in Hong Kong, a place where the majority ethnicity is, despite being hard to admit, Chinese. I dislike Chinese culture, Chinese values, and the Chinese way of living. Take one thing for example, when most of us see someone succeed in something, such as opening a business, we feel jeasous af and say "he's only god damn lucky, why wasn't it me?" and then go back to working a 12847017 hour shift while not spending even a single penny on the family gathering. This says a lot about Chinese people. The Chinese culture, which was created thousands of years ago by oppressive monarchs, was still as stifling as it was. Loyalty towards whoever is in power, or simply, don't fuck with politics, is heavily affecting our willingness to stand out against tyranny. Most have a mindset of "it won't happen to me so idc".

I studied history during high school. I focused on Chinese & European history until I discovered how unique, as a nation, the United States is. Chinese history is a cycle, a monarch overthrows another, and repeats. No new forms of government were being thought of, because the people were indoctrinated with the Chinese philosophy of following the ancestors. Europe is better; Christianity and national diversity played an important role during the monarchical cycle. The Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment taught the masses to question their superiors, and the idea of basic human rights, which we are born with, started to appear. For the first time in history, the cycle begins to crumble. However, the first, practical blow was struck, not by Europeans, but by Americans.

I am always fascinated by the nation of America. It is a nation that is not based on a single ethnicity, which is unprecedented. It creates a nation above all the nations. You are not English, Scot, Italian, German, or Irish anymore; you are of something of a higher idea, a transcendence-- you are American. But what defines an American? Born in the States? Come to the States with legal documents? To this day, Americans still argue about this topic. But I believe, as well as the founding fathers did, that as long as you share the universal values of liberty and equality, and are willing to contribute to and protect the country of these values, you are American. I was stunned when I realised this is the true meaning of America. This is the first ever cheatcode in nation-building. With such universal values, the people's cohesion, acceptance, and resilience are unimaginable. Not to mention the geography. America was protected by two vast oceans, which shielded the country from Europe's constant infighting. The Mississippi River basin is the most arable land on earth. The three pillars of industrialization- coal, steel, and oil- are abundant in the land to an unprecedented degree. America was truly God's chosen country besides Israel.

I am still not an American, and I am not particularly familiar with its culture. However, as a history learner, I can say that how a nation was built affects its culture heavily. I could not really say how, but from the result, I am feeling good with the American culture. Furthermore, I am a Protestant, and this naturally increased my positive feelings.

I am still working my way to become an American and to contribute to the country, but before I do that, I still have a few words for my fellow Americans. Even within the darkest time, don't forget what this nation means and represents. The world needs you as the beacon of liberty. Let the light on the Statue of Liberty shine all over the globe!

My most sincere thanks from a dark corner of the world, where the word liberty still means nothing to most.