The Shining City on a Hill

"We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, "may the Lord make it like that of New England." For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world."  -John Winthrop, 1630

Like most Americans old enough to remember, I recall where I was when I first heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001.  As a child, I did not fully grasp the meaning of the attacks, being hundreds of miles away and only being able to see them on television.  However, in the following months and years, I watched a country come together to support its citizens, both lending comfort to the aggrieved and encouragement to those willing to fight for our continued freedom.  This time period, which made up the majority of middle and high school years, gave me great pride to be an American and push me even today to support the highest ideals of the United States in whatever part of the world I find myself.

I believe that it is an unequivocal blessing to have grown up in the United States of America.  Thinking about the events of September 11, I remember all of the things I have and cherish, and take pride that I can live my life basically unimpeded by oppressive forces.  I will never declare that my country is perfect; however, I could not have grown up in a better country with a better experiment in democracy.  I have studied history, politics and economics for the past five-and-a-half years within my university coursework, and have learned about populations who have been harassed, arrested and/or tortured for things I do every day.  At the same time, I know that there are people who overindulged in the freedoms and privileges that we enjoy in being Americans; in fact, one of the things that loses respect from citizens of the rest of the world is that many of us have become fat, lazy and stupid.  Many Americans find little or no incentive in hard work, feeling satisfied in their current state or level of achievement.

One thing that makes this country great is that we have the opportunity to realize our greatest dreams, if we work hard enough to achieve them.  Sure, it takes elements of luck and knowing the right people, but in no other country do we have a greater chance to change the world for the better than this one.  It is not an invitation to sit back and bask in our own mediocrity; rather, it is our opportunity to take life and opportunities by the reins and, as Mahatma Gandhi once put it, "be the change you wish to see in the world."  The United States of America is a country, but it is not really a nation in the sense that France or Germany is; we are, in fact, a country of nations, working together under the banner of a liberal constitution to achieve democratic progress.  To this day, our country stands as one of the greatest experiments in democracy that humankind has ever known.  Looking towards the future, how best do we achieve that progress?  How best do we achieve that "City on a Hill" metaphor that Governor Winthrop employed 400 years ago?

Today, September 11, 2013, marks 12 years since our country was attacked, and we embarked upon a new era of understanding about the world:  yes, the United States emerged as the victor after the Cold War ten years before, but that does not mean that the United States (or its citizens) control the world.  We still have responsibilities as members of the developed world to invest time and energy to make the world as a whole a better place.  We must keep in mind that many lost loved ones on that tragic day; at the same time, we must remember (and understand why) a group of people resolved, with hate in their hearts, to fly airplanes into some of our most prominent buildings and into a rural Pennsylvania field.  As brave men and women foiled a hijacking on United 93, and firefighters, policemen and volunteers burst into buildings in New York and Washington to save innocent lives, we recall the heroism that men and women in uniform and complete strangers helped others in needed.  That heroism, though unique to great people, does not only come from tragedy; rather, we as Americans must grasp that mantle and seek to improve the world around us, in tasks mundane and extraordinary.

The inspiration today comes from a series of blessings.  To my American friends, thank God today that you grew up in the greatest country on Earth.  Whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Deist, or any other faith, give thanks for your great fortune today.  The blessing, however, does not stop at simply fortune:  you must use what you have given to engage the rest of the world.  If the United States of America is truly to stay the "City on a Hill" for generations to come, remember that a city itself needs to be built and maintained.  Be the example to the rest of the world that Americans are tasked to be.  Do we have the greatest democracy on earth?  Show the beauty of our democratic tradition.  Do we have superior institutions?  Take advantage of them to make yourself a better and stronger person.  Do faith and public life truly live harmoniously?  Live out your faith in public life, paying no attention to those who harass you.  There will always be people who want to tear you down; however, they will still know you by your fruits.  The biggest blessing is to be able to lead by example.  Currently the world is looking for examples to follow:  seize the opportunity to make your mark.  Have a good night, and God bless America.