post 2 was the first thing that came to mind
i suppose if i am serious, my experince of the US is that I love the land, the vast change as you travel west and how the land shapes the people and not vice versa i.e it is almost like a submission, an acknowlegdment that living in the states you have to accept that you are part of something so big and majestic that it humbles you - for sure the dream is based on seemingly individual pursuits but it is always secondary to the great nation, the whole - i truly believe that whilst Americans strive for perosnal liberty they only achieve it when finding inner peace and by offering themselves up to the great spirit that went before