By Greg Kozera
For Thoughts to Ponder
This week Lynnda and I were in Florida with our youngest and his family. We arrived a day early and went to Epcot for dinner, the fireworks and The American Adventure attraction, particularly in this 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence. We know the grandchildren will not sit still for a 25-minute show. They are into rides, especially high-speed thrill rides. The American Adventure tells the story of the United States starting with the Pilgrims in 1620. We have seen it many times over the years. It gives me an appreciation of what it took to build the USA into the nation we are today. In an age of Kings, Queens and dictators who seized power through conquest, The American Experiment is “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” The founding fathers created a democratic republic with representatives elected by the people. An American idea, the head of government is a president, one of us, elected by the people. A new idea in 1776.
In Disney’s American Adventure show, two audio animatronic people, Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain are the hosts and guides of American history. Benjamin Franklin quoted the writer John Steinbeck, “America did not exist. Four centuries of work, bloodshed, loneliness and fear created this land. We built America and the process made us Americans- a new breed, rooted in all races, stained and tinted with all colors, a seeming ethnic anarchy. Then in a little time, we became more alike than we were different- a new society; not great, but fitted by our very faults for greatness.” A friend from Albania told me. “Americans have no idea how blessed they are and the opportunity they have.” She wanted to learn more about how the American system was created. I suggested she go to Epcot and see The American Adventure.
What makes Americans different? Lynnda and I have traveled to Europe and Asia on business and for pleasure. We meet people from all over the world at SelectUSA. We are blessed to now have many friends around the world. During Lynnda’s breast cancer, close friends who are doctors, shared with us how “eastern medicine” looks at things slightly differently than western medicine. They were extremely helpful. From our travels, people are not vastly different no matter where they are. They want to provide for their families. They want their children to have a better life than they have. They want to live in peace and be happy.
Americans are not smarter, more creative, or harder working than people in other countries. Because of the American form of government and its Free enterprise system, successful Americans think differently. They expect to succeed. Growing up we thought we were middle class. By today’s standards we were poor. Dad always made sure we had a roof over our head and food on the table. We did not have fancy clothes. We wore $2 tennis shoes. When we had a hole through the bottom we put cardboard in them. I had 5 brothers. What was important; we had loving parents who gave us good values and lots of friends. Our parents instilled in us the importance of a good education. They told us we could be and do anything we chose to. My brothers and my friends all expected to succeed financially and have a better life than our parents. All have. I expected to become an engineer, buy a new car and a house. That happened shortly after starting work in industry.
Many people around the world are hampered by their government and economic system they live under. In Europe we know highly creative people who are struggling to get their ideas to market. We know Asian and European companies paying 7 times more than U.S. companies for natural gas if they can get it, making it difficult to compete. If they come to the Shale Crescent USA, they will have cheap dependable energy and be close to their customers. Some foreign companies fight excessive regulations. Many have a small and shrinking market to sell to.
America is far from perfect. It is a work in progress. Immigrants come because it is still the land of opportunity. They want the opportunity to work and earn a good wage. Some want to start a business. In the USA there is no limit on how much money an individual or business can earn. America was set up by our founding fathers as a land of personal liberty and economic opportunity. It is one of the few places on planet earth where both exist together.
We constantly hear about what is wrong with America. We should be talking more about what is right with America. When people began to settle the United States in the 16 and 1700s upward mobility did not exist globally except in rare situations. If you were born a peasant, you would die a peasant. In America what you become is based on how high you choose to dream and how hard you work. Many immigrants come to America with almost nothing, free for the first time in their lives they go to work. Some start businesses and become millionaires, while many native-born Americans have no idea of the opportunity they were born into. No one may have ever explained personal liberty and economic opportunity to them and how to create wealth. They may have lost hope and their ability to dream when life beat them up. I did. Working as a high school coach my players dreamed high and taught me how to dream again. They did what many thought was impossible. Dreams still come true, especially in America.
America’s 250th birthday may be a time to study American history and understand how unique and great America is. One way to deal with the wealth distribution disparity is to educate Americans on taking advantage of the gift of living in American and being an American.
© 2026 Shale Crescent USA
Greg Kozera is the Director of Marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a Masters in Environmental Engineering and over 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and many published articles.