The Stewardship Of A Nation
By Cathryn Crawford (05/09/03)
There are many people who live in America without truly comprehending what it means. Here, in this country, you can love it, hate it, leave it; you can burn the flag, fly the flag, crush the flag beneath your feet; you can choose your own religion, your own marital status, your own right to bear children and when to do so. You, personally, have that choice. There is nothing, perhaps, that you have done to earn it – you simply have it because you were born in America. Those are inalienable rights.
However, you also have other choices. You can choose to sit in front of the television screen, day in and day out, eating potato chips and drinking beer, watching the world and the inner workings of the nation go by, or you can make the conscious choice to get out and be a part of it. There is a certain responsibility which comes with being a citizen of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth, and too few people here in America seem to realize it. So many of us walk around, leading our own lives - perhaps somewhere in our minds realizing that we are Americans, and vaguely being proud of it - but not really taking into account the very seriousness of the rights and responsibilities that come along with the privileges. There are many, many rights and very few responsibilities; however, those that we do have are important.
You have the right and responsibility to vote. It’s your country, and you absolutely do not have the right to complain about your elected officials if you didn’t make it to the polls. There are countries all over the world whose citizens bleed and die for the right to vote, yet so many Americans treat it flippantly, as though it is something to be shrugged off, made light of, and perhaps avoided. It isn’t. It is the one truly great thing that the average citizen can do to sway the course of a nation.
You have, on the same token, a right and responsibility to know the issues and the candidates for which you are voting. There’s nothing more pathetic or shameful than an uneducated voter, casually slipping into the voting booth, marking the name that’s the shortest or longest or bears most resemblance to his own, choosing the people that will shape his future by silly, childish criteria.
You have a right and responsibility to hold your elected officials responsible for their behavior while in office. Check up on your leaders. Keep track of their voting records and their financial records. See who contributes to them, and how much. If you don’t, who will?
On the other hand, be sure before you make false allegations against an elected leader. If you trusted them enough to vote them into office, allow them time to defend themselves before slaying them in the press or bashing them around the office water cooler.
You have the right and responsibility to question the media. Always, always, always verify for yourself. If you hear that America is committing war crimes, temper your outrage till you check out the story for yourself. If you hear that America is providing humanitarian aid and curbing AIDS in Africa, temper your pride until you check out the story for yourself. Use your head. Don’t just mindlessly accept what you hear on Fox News and read in the New York Times as fact. See for yourself.
Lastly, you have the right and responsibility to defend America’s sovereignty and standing around the world. No matter if you may disagree with some of America’s policies; unless you publicly denounce and disown her, you still are the child of America, entitled to the rights and privileges thereof. You have no right to be a traitor, and you have no right to in any way endanger the sovereignty of America, whether it is by your words, actions, or inactions. This is not to say that we should never question the positions of America’s government; however, your last loyalty should be to America herself, and the people and ideals that she stands for.
Along with great power comes great responsibility. We are foolish to believe that we can stand by and allow the idea and greatness of America to simply meander along toward immortality without the serious and conscious stewardship by its citizens. A country is only as great as its citizens, and America need stewards, not ambiguous bystanders, inattentive to the workings of the world in which they live.
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