Humanities & Classics 3270
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Sixties Forum
Humanities & Classics 3270 |
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In Reply to: Does religion exist in the United States? posted by Ryan Dunnigan on May 14, 1998 at 01:54:44:
I believe that Ryan has a very good point. What is sacred to us? Do other nations see us as we are-stingy, selfish, idealistic to a fault, and completely hung up on the faults of others? If they do, no wonder that they don't want us involved in their countries. We can't even effectively run our own.
The United States is a giant melting pot. But there isn't very much united about it. People must struggle on an individual level to achieve success. There is little encouragement from outside sources. In fact, the rule of thumb seems to be that when someone else is down, kick them further away and you'll be better off for it.
We laugh at the religions of other nations. But who are we to laugh. We don't really have one of our own. Sure, there are hundreds of different religions in the United States. But there is no solid factor, religious or otherwise, holding us together. We are just a compilation of other nations with no real separate identity of our own other than chaos.
Other nations have religions that hold them together through thick and thin. Look at the Jews for example. They have survived centuries of repression and hatred, a perfect example being the Holocaust. But did they give up and conform to what others wanted of them. No. They are still going strong are and still united. What is it that holds cultures like this together? What is America lacking, besides kindness, that is probably vital to survival.
Our country believes that it is the ideal country. We go to undeveloped and developing countries and try to shape them to fit our ideals. They only reason that these countries aren't considered developed is because they do not fit our standards. But they are much happier than we are. Our suicide and depression rate is far higher than that of the Bushmen in Africa. Why? I think that we lost something when we tried to achieve our impossibly high standards of perfection. We consider monetary wealth and financial success to be an ideal that we strive for. Why? Isn't our happiness and self-worth more important than a custom-made car? Perhaps to some. But overwhelming attitude in America is that it is not. Maybe we should reevaluate ourselves before we try to change others.