“Radical changes in the world of politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society.”- Pope John Paul II. With all freedom comes accountability. It is easy for myself and everyone else to take for granted the fact that America is a free country, but as best as I possibly can, I will uphold the culpability given to me, to help my nation in any way possible. Imagine if everyone used their freedoms and abilities to better our country and mankind in general. It is amazing to think what the outcome would be with the participation of all Americans using their freedoms and rights in order to help others, our government, and our country. When I examine …show more content…
our country as a whole, even though we may have disagreements between one another, we are truly One Nation Under God. Our forefathers left a legacy that our nation was to be governed by the One True God. With all of the political issues that we face today, it can be hard to see God in our country. He is there, but when individuals and government try to hide Him behind their fleshly ways, it can become exceedingly difficult to see His presence. As the next generation who will be taking to the polls and voting for our government, I will vote for leaders who will guide us in ways directed by God. While freedom of religion is a wonderful attribute to America, we cannot escape the fact that the foundation of our country is that of Christian faith. Even at my young age, I can give my opinion and study what is happening in my community. For most high school age students, we think that we have no say or influence on what is done in the country. However, when we come of age, it will be our obligation to contribute to America. It should be our goal to be better than the generation before us. My responsibility to America is to practice my given duties as a citizen, use my freedoms for good and not for evil, and use any of my abilities for the good of my country, helping in any way possible. First and foremost, in America, we are given duties that we are to practice as citizens.
These duties include, but are not limited to: voting and respecting the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others. Voting is something that very few countries have the right to take part in. So many people who meet the requirements to vote do not do so, but then complain about how the government is being run. This should not be, seeing as they did not take the time nor the principle to cast their vote on election day. As a young person, I can learn about how the different candidates function and study the subjects that they speak on to prepare for upcoming elections. While many people do not respect or follow this principle, it is our duty as Americans to respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others. Although we may not have the same ideas as everyone else, we should not condemn or tear down a person due to their opinion. One great thing about this country is how diverse its people are. It would be boring if we all had the same ideas. I should listen to others and what they have to say before giving my opinion. If I disagree with their statement, I may contradict it by giving my opinion, but I may not do so in a way that will defame the …show more content…
individual. No doubt, many people have fought and died for the rights that we are given.
Some use these rights for evil and not for the greater good of our country. People see the freedom of speech as a way to say anything they want, whenever they want, no matter how it may affect or offend those around them. People see the right to bear arms as permission to carry a weapon with or without a permit, and without limitations. Freedoms are a wonderful thing to have, but we have to use them wisely. Freedom of Speech is defined as the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint. However, to obey the aforementioned duty which is to respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others, we may not always need to exercise this freedom. Equally important, the right to bear arms is one held very dear in West Virginia. While I do agree that we should be free to carry a weapon legally, I do not see this freedom as a way to go outside of the law to carry a weapon. I also do not support the illegal ownership of weapons in any way. While it is a great privilege to be able to carry a weapon for self-defense, it is not to be used for means of horseplay or outside of the legal perimeters. As my given responsibility, I will not carry or own a weapon
illegally. Correspondingly, Winston Churchill once said, “The price of greatness, is responsibility.” Without accountability, where would we be? We would be in a country where every man went by his own interpretation of the freedoms that he has, and would take no responsibility for his actions. In the grand scheme of things, we are not asked of much in America. I sometimes forget this. However, when I think of the men and women who fight for my family and me to live in this amazing country, it puts things back into perspective. Even if I do not agree with everything that is done in our country, I would certainly not trade it for anything. In addition, I need to use any abilities that I may have for the good of my country. We are all blessed with different abilities. It is not the ability itself, but the way we use it that can be a blessing to others. Albert Einstein said, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” I think of all the bad things I hear on the news compared to what little amount of good things. If I do not do anything to oppose the bad, I am committing the same crime. We cannot escape evil. It will be present wherever we go due to sin. However, like mentioned before, by letting evil things occur without doing anything to contradicting them, we are committing the same evil ourselves. To illustrate, there are a plethora of ways to apply my skills to help our country. Both mental and physical skills can be used in the military, so if you feel that you are called to join, do so. If you feel that you are called to go to college and go into a profession that can help others, that is also a notable way to use your abilities. While I do not have concrete plans yet, I do wish to attend college where I will go into the field of architecture. Whether it comes from building homeless shelters, nursing homes, or hospitals, I hope to use this profession as a way to help those in need. This may seem to be an unconventional way to contribute to America, however thinking outside of the box can be a good way to offer your help and support to the nation in ways that others may not have thought of. While it is easy to see accountability as something to hang your head over because it may not be considered enjoyable to you, I do not wish to have it any other way. I am grateful that God has blessed my family and me with this country where we can freely worship Him and spread His Word without limitation. It is sad to me to see that lots of our country are losing their focus on God. Bibles are being taken from students in public schools, children are condemned for praying over their food, and using Biblical principles to correct one another is seen as offensive. While I know this is not the case in all of America, I do know that it is quickly spreading, and has the ability to take over the whole country. I see it as my responsibility to vote, teach, and act according to God’s Word and His Word only. President Ronald Reagan said, “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, we will be a nation gone under.” Moreover, I see these tasks as my responsibility to America. This meaning that I feel that it is my duty, given to be by those who fought for my freedom, to act upon these things. If you do not feel any sort of encumbrance to help your country in any way possible, you may need to examine your values. What or who are you living for? Do you think that the freedoms you have were just handed to you without any expectation of how you are to handle them? Just that fact that you live in a truly free country should give you such a sense of pride; pride that cannot be accomplished by anything we do alone. As you can see, we live in a wonderful country! All of these freedoms are given to us so that we can live in a genuinely free America. My responsibility to my country is to practice my given duties as a citizen, use my freedoms for good and not for evil, and use any of my abilities for the good of my country, helping in any way possible. I should vote in elections. It is something that other countries do not have the privilege of doing. I should respect others, listening to their opinions and ideas, and not condemning them. I should use my freedoms properly, not for the benefit of myself only, but for the benefit of my country as a whole. I should use any skills that I may have in a way that can be of help to those in need. And most importantly, I should practice my freedom of religion as a way to spread God’s Word throughout the nation, leading as many people to Him as I possibly can. This is my responsibility to America.
...ot, it allows us to express ourselves freely and to share with others our uniqueness. It is this right and this freedom that allows us to be free in our daily speech and happenings. So, ask yourself, if this right was restricted would this be the "land of the free and the home of the brave?"
Freedom of speech has been a controversial issue throughout the world. Our ability to say whatever we want is very important to us as individuals and communities. Although freedom of speech and expression may sometimes be offensive to other people, it is still everyone’s right to express his/her opinion under the American constitution which states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press”. Although this amendment gave people the right express thier opinions, it still rests in one’s own hands as how far they will go to exercise that right of freedom of speech.
The Responsibility of a Catholic Citizen in a Free Society Before we start to talk about our responsibilities, we should be grateful that we are able to practice our own faith and we can stand up for our religion and speak up about it. We are here to be an example for the rest of the people out there who do not know any better and are falling in their lives. It is our responsibility to help them. We also have responsibilities of our own - respecting the authority of both the church and government, evangelizing and spreading the word, donating time and money to church and those in need, tolerance and many more. We are surrounded by challenges like abortions, poverty, and violence which all destroy the lives of people that were put here by God and were not able to live because of our choices.
1. The measure of a great society is the ability of its citizens to tolerate the viewpoints of those with whom they disagree. As Voltaire once said, “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” (Columbia). This right to express one's opinion can be characterized as “freedom of speech.” The concept of “freedom of speech” is a Constitutional right in the United States, guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution:
“Everyone loves free expression as long as it isn't exercised” (Rosenblatt 501). In the article, We are Free to Be You, Me, Stupid, and Dead, Roger Rosenblatt argues for the people’s right to freedom of speech and expression, that is given by the U.S Constitution. Rosenblatt argues that freedom of speech is one of the many reasons the Founding Fathers developed this country. For this reason, Rosenblatt believes that we should be tolerant and accepting of other’s ideas and beliefs. Even if one does not agree with someone else, they need to be understanding and realize that people have differing opinions.
Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.
Being expression one of the most important rights of the people to maintain a connected society right to speech should be accepted to do so. The first amendment is one of the most fundamental rights that individuals have. It is fundamental to the existence of democracy and the respect of human dignity. This amendment describes the principal rights of the citizens of the United States. If the citizens were unable to criticize the government, it would be impossible to regulate order. By looking freedom of speech there is also freedom of assembly and freedom of press that are crucial for the United States democracy.
Freedom of speech is the right of civilians to openly express their opinions without constant interference by the government. For the last few years, the limitations and regulations on freedom of speech have constantly increased. This right is limited by use of expression to provoke violence or illegal activities, libel and slander, obscene material, and proper setting. These limitations may appear to be justified, however who decides what is obscene and inappropriate or when it is the wrong time or place? To have so many limits and regulations on freedom of speech is somewhat unnecessary. It is understood that some things are not meant to be said in public due to terrorist attacks and other violent acts against our government, but everything should not be seen as a threat. Some people prefer to express themselves angrily or profanely, and as long as it causes no har...
Since this country was founded, we have had a set of unalienable rights that our constitution guarantees us to as Americans. One of the most important rights that is mentioned in our constitution is the right to free speech. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
Since the early history of our country, the protection of basic freedoms has been very important to Americans. The American voice on freedom has been shaped throughout history. The Bill of Rights was originally drawn up in June, 1789. On December 15th, 1791, the Bill of Rights were ratified and added to the United States Constitution. James Madison said that a bill of rights was good for the “tranquility of the public mind, and the stability of the government” (Burgar, Michael, 2002). Free speech and free press were most important to the drafters of the Bill of Ri...
In order to completely understand how far society has come and the amount of work that still must be done, in regards to being able to exercise our voting rights, we must first understand some of the voting barriers that minorities had to face in the past. It was not until 1870 that the 15th amendment was passed, declaring it unconstitutional for an individual to be denied the right to vote based on their color, race or previous condition of servitude. However, the 15th amendment only applied to male individuals, it did not guarantee the right for women to vote. Instead female voters had to wait an additional fifty years until they were granted the privilege to vote. In 1920, the 19th amendment was finally passed, stating that regardless of gender every American citizen had the right to vote.
This right is greatly abused when it is used to intentionally hurt and discriminate against an individual, and it gets even worse when the perpetrator can get away with it. An example of this would be when an Arab professor at a university was targeted with a hate crime, when a poster that had “terrorist supporter” written on it was directed towards her. When she tried reporting this incident, the administration dismissed her case and concluded that the poster makers were “entitled to free speech,” and that they were simply exercising their right (Hauslohner). A similar incident was about an “anti-Islamic video” that was posted on YouTube criticizing the religion and accusing those who were apart of it with crimes they never committed. Although Google did ban the video in several countries, they didn’t take the whole video down because they believed that the video did “not meet [the] definition of hate speech” (Sengupta). Another instance with the media was a man who sent life threatening messages through Facebook to his wife, he was later fined and imprisoned for this. His lawyer argued “First Amendment protection,” saying that he was exercising his rights, but this only proves that in some cases there is a clear line when freedom of speech is being abused (Advertisement). The only problem is that when this society deems a case insignificant, the line begins to blur (Volokh). Furthermore, the media can spread an idea widely and much faster than before, when hate speech is mixed in, it can lead to results such as cyberbullying which can in turn lead to fatal consequences for the victim (Advertisement). When those who are in power ignore such problematic situations and allow for such vile actions to take place, not to mention on such a grand scale, then
Freedom of speech has many positive things, one of which is the help it gives on decision-making. Thanks to freedom of speech it is possible to express personal ideas without fear or restraints; therefore, all the perspectives and options will be on the table, giving people more opportunities to choose from. Nevertheless, everything in life has a limit, and the limit of freedom of speech depends directly on the consideration of the rights of others. People is free of believing what they want, thinking what they want, and even saying what they want, everything as long as they do not intrude or violate anyone else's rights. Under certain circumstances freedom of speech should be limited, and this is more than just a political action, this acts represent the urge for tolerance and the need for respect.
Freedom of speech allows you to debate about a problem rather than getting in a physical confrontation. Freedom of speech is what people believe you need to solve something that 's problematic. People suppose freedom of speech is very much needed because without it we would be censored from speaking our mind meaning we can 't say what we want on social media or in person. We would be restrained and have to listen to rules on what we can and can 't say in certain places in the U.S. People use freedom of speech to express that murder ,abortion, or even racism is okay and acceptable. People express these things because they are protected by the right to freedom of speech and they can 't be put in jail for it. The 1st amendment gives people the opportunity to argue that our government is corrupt because they can and will express their opinions on certain topics. Being able to speak your mind lets you stand up for what you feel is right. People exercising their 1st amendment right lets them stand up to rude teachers, bullies, cyberbullies, police officers, government, and just an out of control person on the street without having to physically fight
In a democratic society and government, Freedom of Speech is very useful and more than necessary, as it creates an opening for every protest, vote, and public opinion. Freedom of Speech is the backbone of American Democracy and it's a pretty great thing, although in some specific circumstances, it can be denied such as if someone were to be abusing the freedom and creating a danger for others. Generally, only in extreme cases will this be questioned which is good in preventing a poor outcome in the case of a misunderstanding or abuse of power. Freedom of speech is necessary, as this opens up doors for those who are unhappy with decisions previously made or just clearly want a decision to be made in the present. All of this is good for a society as a whole to not be weakened from corruption even though that may be an extreme case.