On the Road Again

There was a time when I really wanted to travel. I remember in 7th Grade begging my parents to let me go on a trip to Western Europe. They waited 5 years for the opportunity to re-present itself before they granted my request.

That trip was interesting to say the least, and Switzerland is gorgeous, but now that I am taking the opportunity to do a little more domestic travel, I wonder why the hell we call ourselves states.

Shouldn't we really be the United Countries of America. Each state technically has its own government and states rights is a time-honored constitutional principle, but continuing to use the moniker of state rather than country creates the illusion that we are all one. United.

Take a look at the election night map, and you know instantly that is not true.

Now don't read this as a secessionist manifesto. Just read it as one man saying that we should more openly embrace the differences between Mississippi an Montana. Between Alabama and Arizona. God knows Sports fans know the difference between Massachusetts and New York. Heck socially, Bostonians speak a "different" language from New Yawkers.

Maybe if we had a better appreciation for the less than subtle nuances, we would value what we have at home just a little more. I know that I find myself yearning for stability from time to time, searching for the familiar rather than the newer, greener pastures. But in the prime of my youth, a prime that will last at least until I am 40, I'm willing to take the ride.