America should be a land of opportunities, but those opportunities grow thinner and thinner by the day it seems.
Some words from WWII veteran Carl Spurlin Dekel have made the news.
He talked about the lack of opportunity in modern-day America.
Dekel was there for one of the ugliest conflicts in history. The freedom of him and his countrymen was on the line, ad he fought for it.
But now he thinks that the country isn’t the same one that they fought and died for.
The veteran was in tears when he talked about how things in modern-day America seemed to him.
Dekel was celebrating his 100th birthday when he spoke about it.
Despite all he’d seen on the frontlines during the war, this was enough to move him to tears.
“The things we did and the things we fought for….and the boys that died for it. It’s all gone down the drain.”
At his age, Dekel has been around long enough to see the world change.
He was there to see the change and opportunities that he fought for, and he was there to see them dwindle.
He didn’t want to be overly negative, of course. He added that he still goes out of his way to look at the beauty around him.
In fact, that’s what he attributes his long life and health to.
Dekel mentioned that a simple look at the flowers and grass outside is enough to remind him of the beauty there still is.
“We haven’t got the country we had when it was great. Not at all” – he continued
But his dissatisfaction with modern-day America can’t be ignored. And he’s not alone.
Two-thirds of Americans who participated in a poll think that America’s reputation has changed for the worse. The majority feel like the rest of the world thinks a bit worse of America – compared to the past.
What’s more, inflation rates have made the cost of living way higher than it used to be. And I’m sure you’ve noticed.
Of course, this isn’t a problem exclusive to America. Everyone around the world has felt the effects of inflation in the last few decades.
Houses, healthcare, education, flights, and so on just cost so much more.
“Nobody will have the fun I had. Nobody will have the opportunity I had. It’s just not the same. And that’s not what our boys, that’s not what they died for.” – said Dekel
One of his closing remarks was a bittersweet reminder of what it took to get freedom in the first place.
“I want the young kids to realize that freedom comes with a heavy price. It isn’t given to people out of the goodness of others. It’s something you have to fight and sometimes die for.” – he said
Well, I certainly hope fighting is the extent of what we’d have to do. But Dekel is probably right on that.
Often, the future we want is something we should work hard and fight for. With things like climate change and inflation looming over our heads, more and more young people are doing just that.
But most people are still optimistic. A lot of people still think things can change for the better.
And thinking can turn into doing, so let’s not give up just yet.
To hear veteran Dekel’s words for yourself, watch the video below.
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