Looking at my baby daughter sleeping makes me think about our family.  We have a young son and now a daughter.  They are very different, yet we are a strong unit.  My wife and I are passionate about our family.  We stick together and stand up for what we value.  A family is not that different from a Nation.   

We hear over and over again that we should celebrate our differences.  We are taught that Diversity is great, and there are even diversity training courses to help better understand the perspective of others.  It seems to me that there is way too much emphasis on celebrating diversity, and not nearly enough on Unity.

The United States of America is a diverse country to be sure, but the whole point is to UNITE and come together as ONE.  E Pluribus Unum, as it states on our currency, literally means “out of many, one.”  It represents, according to Charles Thomson who created the Great Seal, the union between the states and the federal government.  It could also be seen to embody the idea of many different cultures uniting into ONE.  Of course we have people who are “Americans” from all over the world, all races, religions and ethnicities.  The idea of our founding fathers was to create a country, the greatest in the world, where we UNITE and work for the good of each other.

I find it odd that we still have cultures who migrate here, yet refuse to accept the American ideals and traditions.  We have a flag, a national anthem, a language, borders and a sovereign nation.  I think it’s great for people to migrate to our country in search of a more meaningful or fulfilling life, but those people should adopt that countries ideals. 

Our political leadership does little to nurture a sense of national pride.  Both major parties seem divisive and bent on power.  The will of the people seems to go largely ignored, in favor of control, money and power.  What is best for AMERICANS?  Not just Republicans or Democrats.  It seems we have traveled far down the wrong path, and I wonder about our ability to recover.  Americans have done it before, though.  We are the poster children for getting things done against the odds.  Traditionally, it’s when things are at their worst that brings Americans together, and we unite.

Celebrate our Unity for a change, and encourage patriotism.  Generations of Americans have created an incredible country, let’s not let those interested only in themselves and entitlements destroy what’s been built.  The American spirit is one of self-reliance and working together for the greater good.  That’s the BEST of America. 

Diversity?  Sure, we have plenty of diversity.  I see European-Americans, Chinese-Americans, African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Korean-Americans, Mexican-Americans, etc.   But isn’t it about time we all just started acting like AMERICANS? 

Maritn Luther King, Jr. talked about this idea in his “I have a dream,” speech.  “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  If you ask me, he was talking about us uniting, and celebrating the fact that we are ALL Americans.  Let’s be judged by the content of our character.  Celebrating the fact that we are diverse is fine, but it seems to lead to constant promotion of our differences.  It would be much better to promote Unity and celebrate what we have in common… we are all Americans.  We believe in what’s right and value justice, freedom and opportunity.  We have been divided for too long, it’s time to come together as one.  

I want the same thing for my children that Dr. King wanted for his.  I want the people of the United States to act UNITED.  I want the leadership (political, corporate, cultural) to start promoting the areas we have common ground on, and nurturing our passion for the mother land.  Stop dividing us into sub-categories,  some more important than others.   This country was created to escape from religeous and financial persecution.  Let’s not fall into the same trap yet again.  Celebrate and strengthen our nation, including our lanuage, American culture, and our tradition of success.  U-N-I-T-E-D STATES.

Unity.  Pass it on.