What Does It Mean to Me to Be An American

It is good from time to time to stop and reflect on our past and who we are and what does it mean to be an American.

- Mar. 2018

Where should I begin? How do we define who we are as a people? Obviously we are a diverse group of people who came together and formed a nation over 200 years ago. That process is on going and we are still a nation of immigrants. Yet, there is some common bond that holds us together in times of trouble and it comes out when the world is in crisis. What is this bond? that make us unique and exceptional?

Let me start by saying I am a first generation immigrant. I came to America when I was 10 years old. I consider myself to be an American, a naturalized citizen but a full fledged American.

I learned English, I attended public schools in NYC. I went to a public University - CCNY. I worked in a large US International Corporation for most of my career. I raised a family, paid taxes, bought a home and saved for retirememt. I voted in elections and volunteered my time at various organizations and I attend church services regularly.

That is a brief summary of who I am. What do I believe? And what is my world view?

Those are guided and formed from my education and by my mentors. I learned our history, and read about our struggles as a nation. Through wars and disasters and economic ups and down, I learned what is unique about our country as compared to our neighbors and our adversaries.

Here is my world view:

I believe in God, the Creator...

I believe man was put on this earth to be fruitful and multiply and to be good stewards of our environment and the animal Kingdom.

I believe human nature and how it influences our behavior and our social network.

I believe in freedom and equality...and the unalienable rights bestowed on us.

I believe in capitalism and the free enterprise system as the best way to prosperity.

I believe in free will and self determination and in the individual of self reliance.

I believe a system of living based on three pillars of support, government, Church and family.

• We supoort the Constitution
• We help our neighbors in need
• We believe in law and order
• We believe in a strong national defense as the sure way to peace
• We are a community that share common goals
• We believe in justice
• We have a sense of right and wrong and a conscience
• We are charitable and help the poor and the infirmed
• We are adventurous
• We are innovators

The US Constitution.

The flag.

The pledge of allegiance.

The National Anthem.

The oath of office.

America the Beautiful - song

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

1

My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From ev'ry mountainside

Let freedom ring!

2

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills,

Like that above.

3

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from all the trees

Sweet freedom's song;

Let mortal tongues awake;

Let all that breathe partake;

Let rocks their silence break,

The sound prolong.

4

Our fathers' God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom's holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our King.

The unique American experience is no matter where you came from, what race, religion or creed, or heritage, you can assimilate to our culture and adopt our ideals and our government and our freedom and our economic system and reach your potential.

No other country in the rest of the world can make that claim.

If you are lucky enough to be born here, you are better off than 95% of the world population.