Happy B-Day America!

On July 4, many millions of Americans, as well as many others around the world, gather in a spectacular display of solidarity to celebrate the world's first -and only- nation conceived and built on the idea of individual rights and freedoms.

The American Founding Fathers envisaged a nation where, following enlightenment philosophy, people were in control of their government which was solely dedicated to the protection of their rights -not the other way around, which is commonly accepted nowadays. In doing so, they laid the foundations for two centuries of unprecedented human development.

Of course, America (like all other nations) has its share of problems, and the out-of-control government that now resides there is certainly not what the founding fathers had in mind (except, maybe, for Alexander Hamilton). Yet, think of how much poorer the world would be without American minds in science, philosophy, arts, and literature.

So, without further adieu, a happy belated birthday to the nation that, not without reason, is indeed the greatest. The challenge now is keeping to the magnificent legacy that the founding fathers created.