“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” — Lao Tzu

If you tried to perfect a better formula for governance and society than the United States in today’s world, you couldn’t do it. The U.S. is the perfect mix of civil society and freedom-in-the-ranks; it achieves the near-impossible with effortless grace.

Even in a time when the left-wing is pressing its advantage, the basics of America remain the same. Good government, sound laws and freedom to innovate where applicable. The 50 states have managed to defeat the rest of the world at the game of society, partly because of the native superiority of its inhabitants, and partly because of the political structure they have set up.

A good comparison of the U.S. hegemony is Canada. Canada has fewer freedoms than does the U.S. Partly as a consequence, it is always poorer than America — despite being richer in natural resources. Given its natural advantages, Canada should be a world-beater — and it isn’t. It is doing well, true, but only insofar as it mimics the American model. When it strays — when it goes off the rails in terms of social rules and regulations — it suffers correspondingly.

America values its freedom. Most of the world does not. Even in Britain, the founding parent of the States, there is a setup of “classes” which gets in the way of the opportunity to rise up. You practically have to change your accent and your whole attitude to advance in England. Not so in the U.S.

America is accepting of immigrants in a way that is, frankly, shocking. Even the right-wingers are not as dogmatically against strangers as, say, the Germans are. Some of the strongest supporters of America come from its immigrant ranks. They are the ones who see America the most clearly, they are the ones who love America the most fervently.

America is like a young sapling which bends in the strongest of winds but does not break. It has flexibility and resiliency. When it encounters catastrophe, like the Great Depression of 1929, it improvises and improves. Desperate times call on great leaders, like Lincoln in 1860. There is always someone to answer the call.

The United States of America has it all: a booming economy and a wise, benevolent government. There are many who would doubt this, but they are fools. They are living in the moment too much, rather than seeing the grand sweep of history. In the view of totality, America can do no wrong. It is a self-correcting mechanism with multiple feedback loops. It is an artwork with a quarter of the canvas perpetually — excitedly — left unpainted. It is paradise on earth, particularly in places like California and Florida.

Where America goes, the world follows. The world accedes to America’s greatness. And that’s a fact.