These just scratch the surface of the qualities that make America the greatest country in the history of the world. The principles that our nation abides by enable us to make our own choices about the way we live our lives. This is not a luxury experienced by much of the rest of the world.

Take a look at a few things that Americans have the opportunity to enjoy:

Where else do people have the unprecedented ability to have their voices heard, no matter how absurd they may be, without any danger of being silenced?

Where else can people become whatever they want by working hard and striving to be the best at what they do?

Where else can people who have diametrically opposed belief systems openly debate the personal, social and political issues that mean so much to them?

The answer is unequivocally The United States of America.

Unfortunately, though, this land that we love and cherish so much for what it has to offer is also one we too often take for granted. Americans are spoiled by our own abundance of everything we will ever need being available to us at a momentís notice. What makes this condition even worse is that we are ignorant that it exists.

Just think about it:

We get upset if we have to wait in line more than a few minutes at the bank or fast food restaurant when we should be grateful for having money in our pockets and food in our stomachs.

We complain about having to drive our cars across town to purchase something we think we need at the mall when we should be grateful that we donít have to walk there and that we have choices about what we can buy.

We are inconsiderate of other people in our day-to-day actions and conversations when we need to be grateful that we live in a country full of a diverse mix of people and cultures.

Does America have problems? Absolutely. But our problems pale in comparison to the problems facing much of the rest of the world. Something we may think is a problem in the United States would be considered a blessing in a Third World country. Our selfishness is a huge reason why so many people around the world loathe America and Americans so much!

Something drastic needs to happen in our culture to bring us to that place of humility we experienced on September 11, 2001. In the weeks following this low point in our nationís history, the people of America showed what it means to be meek in the face of turmoil. Americans gave out of the goodness of their hearts and united together as one in a show of patriotism unmatched in the history of our nation.

Unfortunately, though, that was only a temporary "feeling" and not a real permanent change in peopleís hearts and minds. Have we already forgotten the lesson we were supposed to learn from that day? Are we going to go back to living our lives, being selfish and greedy, as if nothing happened?

Each of us individually need to resolve today to become a better example of what a free people should be. There will always be naysayers who are jealous of what America is. But, one by one, we can change ourselves and, thus, change America so that it represents a beacon of light and hope for the world to see. The qualities that make up our country can be lauded and not hated!

Freedom. Expression. Opinion. Values. Criticism. Support.

All of these make up this great land of ours. They are the attributes of every American who makes the United States their home. Itís an America that can become even stronger as the people refocus on what is important.

The result of doing this will be a renewed America.