"Un"-American?

I've been thinking about the things that separate us. Religions, races, nationalities, borders, genders, generations, languages, parties...

Lately everytime I turn on the news I become angry. There are any number of things to be angry about in the world; war, poverty, hunger, injustice...but it's something even deeper than that, something that hits at the core of my being.

Everytime I hear a politician using the word "American" to describe themselves, me, someone else, my stomach starts to churn. It's not just the disingenuous, patronizing, cliche, that my Nationality has become something that people can redefine, evaluate, and be used as leverage in some political game to the point that it has lost all meaning.

Borders, countries, classes of people. They don't exist. We  made them  up, and we give them meaning like it matters. So I don't consider myself an "American", not in the way it's being used, the way it's been high-jacked. I know how fortunate I am to be born in this country, I am grateful for the opportunities I've been given. I am proud of who I am. But "American" is not who I am. It does not define my worth, or lack of worth. It does not tell you if I am a good person, or a kind person, or a generous person, or a mean person, or a spoiled person, or a privileged,  poor, hungry, or glutinous. It is. Like my hair is brown, my skin is light. It's my home. It's sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly. It is not who I am.

I am not one country, one space, or one people.

I am not just a citizen of the United States, I am a citizen of the world, and so are you. I am you. I am we.

There is no "other", no "them", only us.