You Can't Spell America Without "I"

The values and belief system of a country always have some sort of impact in its people. In Gary Athen's book American Ways: A Guide to Foreigners in the United States in a chapter called "American Values and Assumptions", Athen discusses the values and belief systems of the United States and its effect on people. The first and one of the most notable (in my opinion) characteristics he mentions is individualism. This is the idea that one can express themselves in their own unique manner, be self-reliant, and practice independence.

Individualism is a very promoted and encouraged idea in our country. It is so admired that our education system is slowly adhering to this concept. 200 student lecture classes in which the professor explains everything and the communication is only one-sided are constantly being criticized by pedagogists, teachers, and students themselves. Classrooms in which the creativity and individual thoughts are expressed more often in a manner in which natural, authentic conversation and dicussion is created is far more appreciated by both teachers and students. Personally, I prefer that style of education far more than sitting in a cramped seat listening to a professor go on and on for an hour straight. This also exemplifies how individualism is a very admired quality in America. I admire this quality because it pushes people to be themselves and practice independence in their own unique manner. Life would be boring if everyone was the same so individualism is such an important quality to me. Unique thought also pushes people to think outside the box and when you think outside the box, innovation and new ideas occur. So, individualism is such an intrinsically fundamental quality that promotes the improvement and progress of our society and our existence as a people.

Another value that Athen mentions is competition which is also very influential and relevant in our nation. You would think that competition stands out the most is in sports but it is also extremely relevant in our education system. From college acceptance rates to actually succeeding in college, competition stands out. I would hear stories from friends about how some students would rip out certain pages from a textbook at their school library in order to prevent other students from gaining that knowledge. This is something however that I believe is good for our nation. Competition is already a natural drive that pushes people to be the best they can be. When practiced healthily, it is something that pushes society as a whole to improve. It is a very important quality in my opinion and it is also very noticeably practiced by others in this nation. It is most often noticeable in sports in which athletes always claim that they are either already the best or are working towards becoming the best.