NationStates Jolt Archive


Yamoles's Sermons From the Mount

Yamolex
27-07-2005, 04:35
Very rarely im I vocal over, religion, ideals, goverment, etc. Recently however I have found, not just on this forum, but everywhere now, strong Anti-American feeling, mostly from foriegners, but now I have seen one of my neighbors burning an American flag. I personally dont care, I know the proper way to respect a flag, but if you wanna burn it, go ahead, have fun, heres a lighter. However, I do want to share my opinions on a few things.

In all countries on this planet, to anyone who wants to listen, I try and teach my experiance and knowledge to anyone who wants to listen, young people especially, and to you I must say, you will find out that, no matter how romantic and attractive your dreams may be, unless you're wealthy, or live with your parents until they die, most of your time and energy will be taken up just with trying to keep food on the table and a roof over your head.

Even and especially in America.

A lot of people around the world see Americans as rude, arrogant jerks that drive around in fancy cars. Everything's relative. We have one of the highest standards of living, as a nation, in the world, but we pay for it (no pun intended). On the other hand, while America is still the 'land of opportunity' (if you can get there) , the powerful economic and manufacturing giant of the United States has helped to drive the rest of the world to catch up and keep up, resulting in opportunities in even the poorest nations for their people to succeed and prosper. Little of this involves altruism......it's just a side effect of our scrabble to realize the old joke, "He who dies with the most toys, wins...."

I am saddened by the myriad scenes of poverty and hunger in the world, in the majority caused by repressive governments who are more interested in gaining and keeping power for themselves than helping their people prosper and be content. They do not see that making and keeping the people happy is the best way to stay in their high positions. Most of these countries also are quite backward, technology-wise. Where an American farmer uses a fantastically expensive (well, to me, anyway) piece of equipment to plant and manage 100 acres, then mutters about prices and taxes and how he won't be able to feed his family this year, people in places like Afghanistan use a piece of iron bound to a pole to cultivate a small plot, and are deliriously happy when a good crop comes in....because that means they will eat for awhile.Some of these countries even receive American Foreign Aid monies and goods.....which they use to buy expensive automobiles or military equipment to maintain their hold on that poor farmer.....still basically farming with a stick.

Do you wonder that many of the nations that hate and fight us are comprised of people immersed in a strict, fundamentalist-type religion? One that has little shrift for new ideas? One that says, in effect, that to be poor is to be exalted, that 'the meek shall inherit the Earth'? One that says that to pray 8 times a day is better than to eat 3 times a day? Feh....

Is this a Pro-American rant? No. We have our problems with religion, too. We are a very tolerant nation when it comes to religion.....one effect of this is that we have also become a nation tolerant of no religion, one where school is expected to be a substitute for parenting, and the church's hold on our hearts and minds has slipped to the point of a nationwide degradation of morality. One where the number of divorces and unwed pregnancies is skyrocketing, where there is no respect for authority, be it that of the law, or of the elderly, who, believe it or not, have a lot to offer from a lifetime of experience. We have gone from a nation that tried to respect everybody, regardless of gender, race or religion, to one that respects nothing.

Still, most of us are, shall we say, 'well-meaning assholes', and are constantly bewildered by the depth of hatred shown us by people we don't even know. But we continue to try, because that is the enduring basis of America. To try.....try to help.....try to improve.....try to understand.....try to defend the weak and try to liberate the oppressed.As you go through your lives, I hope you all remember this. No matter what the United States government says or does, always know that the people of this country will always and ever continue to try.....