My appreciation of America is surging

These days it’s not easy to say what I just said. There is a fear of being reprimanded. White privilege. Or that my rosy view can only be rationalized when America is compared to some failed state, like Russia, where I come from. Or how things are so much better and more civilized in some other country — Canada or Spain.

I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. I sometimes use the expression “citizen of the world” when I describe my identity. I’m not a fan of glorifying any country.

But I know unmistakenly — my love for America is growing.

Does it have something to do with the current situation in Ukraine and Russia?

Perhaps, a little. When I follow the news of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine as well the country’s slide to totalitarianism and decades-long isolation, of course, I think how fortunate I am to have left Russia in 2013.

But no, I don’t think it’s some momentary burst of emotions driven by my perception of world affairs. Well, I do sometimes get a little emotional about sights and sounds. A couple of weeks ago I was doing my usual Sunday long run in Delray Beach in Florida, where most of my family recently moved and ran into a motorcade honoring Ukraine. If you are cynical, you can dismiss this as a meaningless show, that’s of no help to the Ukrainian people. But I’m not cynical. A motorcade in some mediocre beachfront city in Southern Florida to support Ukraine? I was touched.