I know, I know. People on this platform seem to hate America. Apparently, merely mentioning the country is enough to summon immediate vitriol. But the truth is, most of America doesn’t look like the worst parts of it. Sure, there are places that do, don’t get me wrong, and they’re usually clustered around some of the old industrial and automotive corridors.

But I’ve driven through the Smoky Mountains and along the South Carolina shoreline, and honestly, calling the scenery breathtaking almost feels inadequate. There are places in this country where you can drive for hours with mountains rising around you, or watch the sun disappear over the coastline, and you’re reminded just how enormous and beautiful this place really is.

And yes, our politics are horrific, and the orange man is almost cartoonishly evil. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But America is more than its politics, more than its politicians, and certainly more than the loudest voices screaming about it online.

There is something worth loving here. The landscapes. The people. The sheer variety of this country. The fact that you can drive across it and pass through entirely different worlds without ever leaving the same nation.

America has plenty of things worth criticizing. But it also has plenty of things worth cherishing.

And maybe those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive.