By Roshan Jayasinghe
In a nation stitched together from the fabrics of nearly every culture on Earth, how is it that America finds itself tangled in the threads of division, restriction, and fear?
The United States of America, as it is known today, was not born from a singular culture, language, or lineage. It was formed through force and migration, through dreams and domination. It began with the taking of land from the Native peoples who once lived in sacred relationship with the earth, their governance rooted not in conquest but in custodianship. And from that displacement forward, wave after wave of immigrants arrived, not to pillage, but to plant roots. To contribute. To build something that had never existed before: a pluralistic society with shared democratic ideals.
And yet, here we are, in a time where those very fabrics, once welcomed, now worn, are being pulled apart by the hands of fear and greed.
The Myth of Self-Made Greatness
The American dream, once envisioned as a promise of mutual uplift, “give me your tired, your poor…”, has been distorted into a race of individual conquest. Not growth for all, but gain for one. We were told that freedom meant opportunity, but we were not told it could also breed exploitation. We were told that diversity was our strength, but we were not taught how to honor it without fear or hierarchy.
As governing bodies are increasingly influenced by individuals seeking control, wealth, and re-election over common good, the humane core of governance erodes. Even those with rich hearts and noble intentions are too often swept into systems of incentive that reward division, silence generosity, and uphold a myth: that to love another’s humanity is to threaten your own.
How did we get here?
A Nation Forgetting Its Own Blueprint
America was never one fabric. It was a patchwork, messy, beautiful, and alive. Each culture that arrived here brought not only its labor, but its language, stories, traditions, and reverence for something greater than consumption. And yet, we have slowly legislated away the vibrancy that diversity brings. Immigration policies grow colder. Empathy is politicized. National identity is wielded not as an embrace, but as a border wall.
Somehow, in the pursuit of power and market dominance, we forgot that human beings are not brands, and nations are not corporations.
The Indigenous peoples who were here before us understood something we are only beginning to remember, that the earth cannot be owned, only shared. That strength is not in domination, but in harmony. They gave, even as they were taken from. What lesson could be more profound?
Reclaiming American Humanity
We are not doomed to this trajectory. America’s spirit is not static. We can still shift course.
What if we reimagined our systems not for profit, but for people? Not to control, but to care?
What if immigration was seen as addition, not invasion, as enrichment, not replacement? What if policies reflected the humanitarian values we preach abroad but so rarely practice at home?
What if leadership began with conscious integrity rather than political strategy, prioritizing kindness over clout, and compassion over campaign wins?
This isn’t about left or right. It’s about right and wrong. About remembering that we are temporary passengers in a collective story that is far older and more sacred than the systems we currently uphold.
A Call to Rebuild, Not Restrict
If America is to truly be great, it must first be good. And goodness cannot exist without generosity of spirit, fairness in law, and humility in power.
We do not need more slogans. We need soul.
Let us begin with questions, not assumptions. With listening, not legislating. Let us acknowledge what was taken, what was built, what was broken, and in doing so, let us imagine what could still be repaired.
Let America not be remembered as a fortress, but as a field. A place where every thread of humanity is given space to root and rise, not as strangers, but as sacred contributors to the human story.
About the Author
Roshan Jayasinghe is a humanist thinker and emerging writer based in California. With a background in administration and a deep passion for social equity, he explores the intersections of politics, identity, and compassion through a lens grounded in nature’s own self-correcting wisdom.
Roshan Jayasinghe
Rooted in the belief that humanity can realign with the natural order where balance, regeneration, and interdependence are inherent. Roshan’s reflections invite readers to pause, question, and reimagine the systems we live within. His writing seeks not to impose answers, but to spark thought and awaken a deeper awareness of our shared human journey. Roshan will be sharing weekly articles that gently challenge, inspire, and reconnect us to what matters most.
