The Day The World Cried

By David McKenzie

I cried on Tuesday. Well actually it was Wednesday morning that I cried as I woke up and turned on the TV. You see, I live in Australia and when I got out of bed the tragedy had happened only a few hours before.

As an Australian I am very proud and I love my country. But I have always known that as proud as I am about my country I am not as proud as Americans are about their country. Nothing in the world compares to the love Americans have for their country.

If there were a world champion pride competition, America would win it every year. Every Single Year!!

I have known this as long as I can remember. Americans are very proud people.

They sing their national anthem with passion. All of them. They hold their hands over their hearts when they sing it. They show their emotions to those around them. They are not afraid of what other people think of them because they are proud.

On this most tragic of all weeks, others have destroyed buildings and killed people in America.

But there is one thing they will never destroy which is America's greatest attribute.

PRIDE.

That's because it can never be done.

No-one will ever be able to destroy a nation that has so much pride.

As usual, Americans will pick themselves up and move forward with their unending positive attitudes.

Have you ever seen an American who does not have a positive attitude?

I haven't.

Even in the face of adversity they are positive people.

On the news last night I saw a man whose girlfriend was unaccounted for in New York. His voice was trembling as he spoke to the commentator. His girlfriend had been on one of the top floors of the WTC and he spoke to her twice by cell phone after the planes had hit the buildings. In the middle of the second call the line went dead and he did not speak with her again. Then the building fell down and he watched from the street. All hope was lost.

But no. All hope was not lost. This man, with his trembling voice trying to hold back the tears was talking of how his girlfriend was going to be found. He was saying that she could still be found. He kept a positive attitude for the outcome.

That defines Americans. No matter what happens they know how to continue on. They have an amazing self-belief as a people.

This self-belief cannot be broken.

It is why we in the rest of the world look to them as the leader. They have the pride, the self-belief and the positive attitude that we aspire to.

Well, most of us. Some others are jealous.

But jealously will never defeat pride.