What being a vegetarian means to me in the words of this guy!

"As you're enjoying that pork loin next to me, I am not silently judging you. I realize that anyone who has encountered the breed of smug vegetarian who says things like, "I can hear your lunch screaming," will find this tough to believe, but I'm honestly not out to convert you."

I see dead cows...

A weak decentralised State and society coupled with a strong patriotism is the reason why the U.S. will not cede her place as the world's most powerful nation anytime soon.

 Citizens of the U.S. often call Europeans lazy...I saw this as an uneducated slur until I fully appreciated the U.S. social system and society which encourages diversity in society and freedom of the individual to reach their fullest potential, which I believe is achieved by not providing the support or fallback that many Europeans feel they have in their society or the State. This is something I've already covered below - in believing that the sense of independence and direction that individual U.S. citizens possess is a result of the great freedom they have to develop their own identity, given that freedom and liberty can as much be smothered by an overprotective State as by a tyrannical right-denying regime.

In the U.S. divengent and contradictory viewpoints and lifestyles exist side-by-side and in many ways in harmony. Communities and groups see that falling back on the State for support, either politically or socially is not an option..the State will not provide, it is up to the individual to make their way.  People don't rely on social validation on some abstract notion of Americanness, as Ambassador John Bruton said on a very interesting podcast about his time in the U.S., they are less  prone to Group-think. Instead they construct their own identity through reaching out to other people, communities or family to define them. This is so prevalent in so many ways from how individuals as Alumni give millions to fund their former Universities, to why the stronger lobby groups e.g. the NRA or the Human Rights Campaign have mass membership as an intrical part of their lobbying effort, to the continued strength of religious observance which defies the trend of gradual decline in religion in each and every developed country. When there is no strong State to fall back upon, it is no wonder they hold close what is dear.

That is paradoxically why I found the U.S. to be one of the friendlyist places I had been.  In creating your identity it is not as easy to rely on abstract notions such as nationality and the State to justify yourself. You must create your own multifaceted identity, based on job, sex, belief, personality etc. Not engaging with fellow citizens, relying on the State or nationality or an abstract notion of society to validate you is not an option, as I'm sure if you ask any homeless person in the U.S. - no man is an island, but it'd be much easier to be an island there. This was reflected somewhat for me by the face that very few people were listening to Ipods (which I believe sends out a signal, I do not want anyone to interrupt me)  in the street and in general more took the time to acknowledge you. They were also more flirty, which I think cannot be but a good thing!

The reason, I feel that this diversity brings about strength is that U.S. citizens can feel much more in charge of their destiny through their group or identity than they can with an abstract State, and will therefore work harder, be more creative and if necessary fight in order to retain or develop this identity. As Ambassador Bruton also said U.S. citizens are much more innovative and will not see some problems as simply intractible. Instead as he points out, they are much more dogged in reaching solutions to problems that Eurpeans might simply see as unresolvable. Is this why U.S. citizens view Europeans as lazy? Becuase for them having one's own identity, that seperates you from those around you is vital for strength of character as they feel they are achieving for a greater purpose or goal while for Europeans all too often we can mush up our identities and values to form a kind of consensus which nobody is happy with but each suffers as we feel we have no control.

But will this diversity of conflicting identities ultimately lead to conflict? Perhaps, and you could say that has happened already with the black community, which defines itself by a strong alternative culture and community.  However the reason I believe this will not happen is the strong patriotism of the U.S. citizen who opts into a system based on liberty that allows them to be different and follow their own path. In Europe some group buring a National flag would be seen as more of a party trick than heracy. However, in the U.S., the thought that one grouping might opt out of their carefully constructed compact triggers fears of the unleashing of the energy of that group against what is a fragile State. Perhaps that is why a Civil War was fought, while if a similar break happened in the European Union over a policy issue, the temptation would be to allow the schism.

Whatever, the future of the world, the U.S will lead - its strength is in constatly reaching for new paradigms, not giving up when confronted by obstacles and in citizens utilising the control they feel they have over their destiny. In sum the U.S. is strong not because it is united or divided, but beacuse it is united in its dividedness.