Realizations
I was going about my business today.Doing my duty and I began to look around. It struck me, just how different it is here then in my small corner of the world. The vast deserts, the sparce vegitation, and a people who; aside from their religion have no sense of who they are as a people, or more accuratly as a country in the modern world.
I guess as an American I take for granted my national identity. The fact that from the moment I was born I was taught of the majesty of America. The "Land of the Free" the "Home of the Brave" and so forth. That identity as much as my own name, family, and religion have defined who I am as a man. I always assumed that national identity was basic component of every human being. I was mistaken,in this region of the world one's identity is based upon their ancestry. There religion plays a large role as well, but unlike in America a persons nationality is much less important then there ethnicity.
While this does have it's advantages I ultimatly believe it does more harm then good. You see as an American, I identify with other Americans, but unlike many other people there is not simply one template to define what an American is. Americans are not all white, black, oriental, hispanic,greek, eastern european,or even arab. An American is not just Christian, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddist ,ect ect ect. An American is not only a Republican, Democrat, Libertatian, Green, Socialist, Communist, ect ect ect. You see our national identity trancends race, religion, political ideology, and the like.
Being an American is different than anything else in the world. It is more about where we live and the idea's of Freedom, self determination, hard work, capitalism, and the rugged determination of man that defines us as a people.
Wheather your ancestors came to American on aboard the Mayflower, or later on ships from all parts of the world, you are still apart of one nation under God. Some among us fought for the rights there forefathers where denied, violently at times. Yet even those who where for a time enslaved finally one there freedom and have added a richness to the American way of life that will be cherished for all times.
So If I could give the people of Iraq one piece of advice it would be this; unite as Iraqis. You can do that and still keep your cultures. You can be a Shite, Sunni, Kurd as well as an Iraqi. If you can put aside bitter ( and honestly many times minor) differences and unite for the greater good, a stable and free Iraq. You will be doing a great service to the countless generations who will come after you. They will have something unique to the arab world. A country based on shared idea's not on skin, religion, or politics. That nation will have a long and glorious future. One that Mohammad himself would be proud of.
I guess as an American I take for granted my national identity. The fact that from the moment I was born I was taught of the majesty of America. The "Land of the Free" the "Home of the Brave" and so forth. That identity as much as my own name, family, and religion have defined who I am as a man. I always assumed that national identity was basic component of every human being. I was mistaken,in this region of the world one's identity is based upon their ancestry. There religion plays a large role as well, but unlike in America a persons nationality is much less important then there ethnicity.
While this does have it's advantages I ultimatly believe it does more harm then good. You see as an American, I identify with other Americans, but unlike many other people there is not simply one template to define what an American is. Americans are not all white, black, oriental, hispanic,greek, eastern european,or even arab. An American is not just Christian, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddist ,ect ect ect. An American is not only a Republican, Democrat, Libertatian, Green, Socialist, Communist, ect ect ect. You see our national identity trancends race, religion, political ideology, and the like.
Being an American is different than anything else in the world. It is more about where we live and the idea's of Freedom, self determination, hard work, capitalism, and the rugged determination of man that defines us as a people.
Wheather your ancestors came to American on aboard the Mayflower, or later on ships from all parts of the world, you are still apart of one nation under God. Some among us fought for the rights there forefathers where denied, violently at times. Yet even those who where for a time enslaved finally one there freedom and have added a richness to the American way of life that will be cherished for all times.
So If I could give the people of Iraq one piece of advice it would be this; unite as Iraqis. You can do that and still keep your cultures. You can be a Shite, Sunni, Kurd as well as an Iraqi. If you can put aside bitter ( and honestly many times minor) differences and unite for the greater good, a stable and free Iraq. You will be doing a great service to the countless generations who will come after you. They will have something unique to the arab world. A country based on shared idea's not on skin, religion, or politics. That nation will have a long and glorious future. One that Mohammad himself would be proud of.
posted by Gipper at 11:51 AM
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