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A post shared by Shivani || TBWS (@thebirdwhoswam) on Jul 4, 2020 at 2:39pm PDT

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Happy 4th to one of the best countries in the world!

I owe a lot of my growth to you. I love you America, and am so glad to call you home from 1997 till forever…⁣

We do need to talk, though. Here are my thoughts:

1. You are “one” of the best countries in the world, not the best. Ego at the country-level permeates into its residents’ outlook too. Patriotism is fantastic, but nationalism not so much.⁣

2. Everyone here is from somewhere else—itineraries and arrival years may look different. Those who were here from the beginning are still waiting for their host-gift.⁣

3. Do you know why your think-tank and execution is one of the best in the world? See #2. Diverse minds bring great ideas to the table that a single mind often cannot.⁣

4. On the note of diversity, let’s talk about inclusion and respecting the lives of your Black & LGBTQIA+ community. We can talk about women’s rights too. And, about the police narrative: no one is suggesting that we don’t need the police. We need them and want them, but they need to lead less with biased ego, and more with rules and respect. Again, #BLM #LGBTQ #equalityforall⁣.

5. No one is perfect, but not realizing that there is work to do, and just thriving in pride of ignorance and arrogance is plain stupid. Also, America is not synonymous with white-skin residents—refer to #2.⁣

You are already excellent on so many levels. You don’t need to be great again.⁣

You just need to be you and evolve a bit to be a better you for tomorrow.⁣

Happy 4th, America. I love you and that is why I show up to this conversation. I care.

~