How to be a good American citizen

: Dr. Ragheb Elsergany

01:26-2016/08/21

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How to be a good America citizen

Definition of civilization:

Materialistic or scientific civilization: buildings, bridges, roads, tunnels, army, computers, factories, medicine, electronics, etc.

In this aspect, USA is considered the most civilized country in the world. I would like to thank you about that.

However, civilization has another important aspect that we should respect, and in my view, it is more important than the materialistic one.

That is the moral civilization:

It is much easier to build a space ship than to build a man or a woman.

Regarding the moral civilization, are we civilized?

I say: yes, we are civilized to a certain degree, but unfortunately we are deteriorating.

This deterioration is severe in some aspects of life to the degree that some of major sins and mischief are considered now normal behavior.

Let me recall with you some of the figures in some of the medical report, newspaper articles, and psychology books written here in America.

1- Adultery and fornication (study made in 33 students)

Up to 80% of teenagers in the same area committed fornication, the lowest figure was 33%, and the average is 55%

2- Teenage pregnancy

- 1.6 of Keve were pregnant (out marriage in 1965)

- 4.6 of Keve were pregnant (out marriage in 1994)

(The figure is underestimated because of the prevalence of abortion)

- 350.000 cases of pregnancy out marriage

3- Single parent families: national average is 23%

This newborn is in mortality in MMR/ mortality and morbidity weekly report

New York 36%

New Orleans 34%

4- Drugs (New York Times September 97)

Nationwide study : 40% of teenagers have tried marijuana

Alcohol is ever more spread

Significant correlation between crimes and number of liquor outlets

With each 10% in outlet stores___ 2.5% in crime

5- Crime (homicide)

- Dallas morning news (70% in Texas last year in child abuse)

6- Suicide (American suicide foundation sept. 96)

- 32000 per year

- The third leading came of death of those between ages 15-24 years (the first is the reckless driving)

- Suicide is tripled in the young people in the least 30 years

7- Gambling

- 1 out of 7 between 18-21 years are compulsive gamblers

- Teenagers triple the adults

8- Racism: in spite it is against the law, but still most of the authorities acknowledged that this is a fact that we can not ignore

9- Injustice all over the world:

USA as a leading country should have a role in relieving this injustice:

1/2 million children in Iraq died because of lack of food and vaccines. 50000 girls raped in Bosnia, 20000 in Kosovo are refugees in the mountains

So, all these figures are indications of moral decay, and the future carries more and more.

I came to convey a message (morals and ethics should be fundamental constituents of any civilization, otherwise the fall of this civilization is very near)

Our concerns should be maximized in this field, we should increase the value of morals at all levels.

1- On the personal level:

- We should teach ourselves and our children honesty, trust, generosity, truth, sincerity, patience, tolerance, modesty, mercy,

- We should clear our tongues and our hearts and minds

- We should be positive in changing the wrong beliefs and the wrong actions around us.

2- On the level of the family:

- We believe that a good citizen is difficult to be raised in unhealthy family. We believe that the happy healthy family should be formed of a mother, father and children.

- Every member in the family has an important role, important responsibilities, and also important rights.

- The father has a historic and fundamental role in society as protector, teacher, guide, and economic provider (fatherlessness has become the single most powerful determent of child poverty and more important than race, regime, or the educational level of the mother) (fatherless children are more vulnerable to poverty, violence, law breaking, drugs, school failure and other social pathology)

- Mothers should raise the children and should provide emotional support of all the family

- She has no economic responsibilities in the family

- She should be busy with the children

- She should not throw the burden of raising a good citizen to a baby sitter or to the school

- Children, teenagers, and even adults and old men, all of them should respect the parents with full obedience and love. It is unfair for a father and a mother to spend their life and love in raising and educating the babies of children after they grew up, they start to disobey them, to ignore them, to neglect them, or to even disrespect them.

3- On the level of the community:

- Love

- Help

- Avid racism; you can not blame someone for something out of his control

- Sympathize

- Finally: why we should prevent ourselves from being involved in sex except in marriage, alcohol, drugs, gambling, or even crimes? What is the motive for restrictions?

- Why should we spend our time, effort, money, and mind in helping others. It is clear that none will do that except if there is either rewards for those who do the good deeds or punishment for those who do the bad deeds.

- This may be worldly, you may take reward from someone or you may be punished by the law, however, this will never be absolute. You will find yourself in many occasions alone, no human sees you. Governments can not put policemen for every person. Police should be internal inside your heart.

For this reason, and for the sake of a good community, and good citizen here and all over the world, we should acknowledge that this world has a creator, and at one day, this creator will resurrect all of us, and we will be held accountable for every minor deed in our life.

At that day, the day of resurrection, there will be an ultimate justice.

Any one who has done an atom's weight of good deed shall see it, and any one who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.