A Good Day to say "Goodbye".

[Oregone]

Today, with the passing of the FISA bill, will also serve as the anniversary of the last night that I sleep in my own home, shop in my small hometown, and watch our all-American programming. As is stands, our car is packed and our hopes are high, for tomorrow we depart on the last, and most important, leg of a 5 year journey of emigration. Tomorrow, we seek out a promise of upward mobility in a statistical meritocracy, which also means, we are pursuing the “American Dream”. Like those that came before us to found this country, we are only taking what we can carry with us, and our hopes and dreams—with luck, this will be enough.

When I first considered leaving the United States, it was based upon the premise that our social condition is controlled by a self-sustaining process of greed and poverty, supported by a social order that ensures that each generation, averaged over a long period of time, will be as consistently deprived as the rest. In other words, the conditions of this society ensure posterity will not be much different from the last, and the laws will ensure that nothing will be able to change or stop the cycle. When the structure doesn’t allow change, poverty becomes a perpetual cycle, as does wealth (but small cyclic changes are always observed). The bottom line was, ‘change’ was nothing more than a mere word, and nothing short of a revolution was going to make a difference.

Perhaps I am merely reactionary to the last 8 years of this absurd political experience, which subsequently corresponds to 8 years since I became politically aware. I’ve often thought, ‘perhaps I am wrong?’. Perhaps we really will not go to war? Perhaps the American people are smart enough to choose a leader who isn’t bent on destroying the constitution? Perhaps things really can change around here? I’ve tried to put my dogmatic thinking away, and ask honest questions with the assumption that I could be wrong. But time and time again, my assumptions on the goodwill of the country, the intelligence of Americans, and our ability to change the process have been proven correct (and this memorable day is another display of this concept). My entire lack of faith in this country, its people, and its process has been upheld countless times, to such an extent, I’ve probably blocked out most of these travesties with the hope of leaving those memories behind.

So now, I look ahead.

I look forward to a life where I do not have to listen to war anthems at the start of every high school sports game, nor witness patriotic firework celebrations that evoke images of “Shock and Awe”, or rather, the deaths of innocents. I look forward to turning on a news network that covers more than what celebrity received a DUI, and considers the strange possibility that there is more than a single country in this world. I look forward to living in a society that seems to care about their citizens. Without a doubt, I look forward to having Universal Health Care in 3 months from now.

And to be clear to those certain to look upon our decision with disdain, this isn’t my fight. I was merely born in an area controlled by this regime. It is no more my fight, than the Iraq War is the fight of a small Iraqi child hit by a stray bomb. And this sure as hell isn’t my own child’s fight, being that I find myself in no position to enroll her in this perpetually losing struggle. If it makes you feel good to suffer and struggle against this government entity, that is your business and yours alone, for not all of us dream of a life of political martyrdom.

Without a doubt, I do have good memories, and have met many wonderful people. I wish only the best for everyone I have known and this country as a whole (I do hope you prove me wrong). And for those of you who may find you have something in common with me, and the means to do so, pursue your dream with vigor. Life is so short and precious, so much so, that you shouldn’t let yourself be part of a machine or torn up by one.

Live your life and chase your dreams, ensure the safety of your family and loved ones, and let your heart guide you to better pastures. Of course, you will never know how green that grass is until you stand there, and sometimes you will never know how brown your own is until you stand elsewhere. Wherever you stand, stand for yourself and your family.