Morality
Seven Things You Can Do for America
by Mendy Hecht
September 11, 2001: Terrorists tear serenity from America’s soul. Our sense of safety and security is gone. Our towering twin symbols of superiority are gone. And over four thousand moms and dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, among them our finest and bravest, are gone.
We feel shock. Pain. Rage. A thirst for revenge, a ventless anguish. And maddening powerlessness.
What can we do? What direction do we take? Where do we put our passion?
We all want to take action. We all want to do something — anything — to strike back. Something real. Something powerful. Here’s seven ways to guarantee that good has the last laugh:
1. Have Faith in G-d
“In G-d We Trust” is right on the money. It’s in our courthouses, our Congress. And it’s in our blood. From George Washington to George Dubya, faith is what has made America great. Let’s keep it going. Let’s show the world what faith is all about. We need to have faith, live faith, teach our kids faith — faith in the One Indivisible G-d discovered by Abraham, father of monotheism, over 4,000 years ago. Now, today, and every day. It’s the healthiest thing we can do. And the firmest response to the destroyers of faith.
2. Don’t Lose Trust
Why do bad things happen to good people? But if we trust G-d, we trust G-d. We trust there’s a plan. Even when it hurts. Even when we don’t understand. On that dark day, September 11, 2001, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani asked for strength from G-d. President Bush expressed trust in G-d. Congress sang “G-d Bless America.” Join them. Talk to Him. Speak your mind. Open your heart. Pour out your pain. Tell Him where it hurts and why. Request serenity, courage, willpower — whatever you need. He’s always there, and He always knows what He’s doing. Even when it seems senseless. Never let go of your trust in G-d.
3. Be Humane
We all know the rule: never take life except in self-defense. It’s absolute. But every murder and massacre begins with one thought: I write the rules. Our new enemies deserve death, but they teach us a lesson about life: thought leads to action. Let’s make sure our thoughts are leading us in the right direction. There’s never been a better time to search our souls and reenergize our regard for human rights. There’s never been a better time to entrench this absolute value in society. Permanently. Because if we don’t, we’re no better than they are.
4. Build a Good Family
Your values: many came from outside you. From the media, from pop culture, from books, from teachers and friends. But Mom and Dad gave you more. They were your role models.
Now it’s your turn.
We’re not talking about traditional family values. We’re not talking about American values. We’re talking about a family with values.
We’re talking about doing the right thing. And having kids to teach to do the right thing. If you live alone or lead an alternative lifestyle, you can choose your values. But if you die alone, your lifestyle and values die with you. That’s why the family is the brick that builds society.
So take a stand. Make a statement. Make a family.
A child is forever. A family perpetuates values. Your child, and your family, perpetuates your values forever. Show your kids the right way, just like your parents and grandparents showed you. We need it now more than ever.
5. Respect the Property of Others
Almost as infuriating as the attack itself were reports of volunteers making off with victim’s wallets, looters ransacking abandoned businesses, and citizens at their worst scamming citizens at their best. September 11, 2001 turned most of us into angels. But some of us turned into animals, following our basest instincts.
It’s a blunt reminder of the choices we face every day. Snatching office supplies, or getting something for free when we know we should pay, is infinitely less outrageous than taking advantage of a donor’s patriotism via internet emergency donation scams. But it’s no less wrong. Stealing anything, no matter how small or insignificant, is just plain wrong. In the days and years ahead, let’s never forget it.
6. Be a Good Citizen
As the horrible news spread, good citizens in the thousands turned out across the city and country, doing everything they could to maintain law and order. They’re still out there. But the wave of good citizenship that overtook America did not rise from a flat sea. It built up from small things like courtesy, concern and looking in on neighbors; and larger things like community service, political activism, civic duty and speaking up for justice. It sprung from a sense of obeying the law at all times. From respect for police officers and court decisions. From taking a role in the democratic process at all levels.
Good citizenship is a 24/7 commitment. Law and order, justice and freedom are for the people… and by the people. They are everyone’s responsibility. Their future is in our hands.
Here’s where you can make the biggest difference. Get active, write, call. March. Vote. Volunteer. The greatest things happen when ordinary people like you take action.
7. Respect the value of all life
Believe it or not, animals have a big part in this. Character is measured by what you do away from people. Someone who shoots BB’s at birds for kicks, who cruelly chases cats or hunts deer with a blood lust doesn’t have an animal problem — he’s got a people problem. Someone who hunts and fishes responsibly, takes animal life humanely, and is never reduced to dismembering a live animal maintains the dignity not just of animal life, but of human life too. Respect for life that cannot fight back is the measure of respect for life that can.
* * *
You have just read the Noahide Code—the oldest set of rules known to man. Older than the Bible – older than Ancient Anything.
These laws have been the bedrock of civilization since the dawn of time.
Societies that protected them flourished. Societies that flouted them fell: historical fact.
“But can I really make a difference? Do I make a difference?” Look to New York City’s skyline for the answer: one man named Osama did that. And if one human being, just one, can do so much evil, then one human being—just one—can do equal good.
Imagine the power .
Now stop imagining. That one human being is you.
Osama wasn’t born yesterday. It takes a village to raise a child. But if the villagers are maniacs, that child is lost. And when he grows up… you get the picture.
We all live in the global village now. We all create that world of justice and good around each other. So get caught doing the right thing more often. Your one act may just be a child’s lifetime inspiration.
Pass it on.
It won’t be the same without you .
* * *
The Noahide Code is the Jewish message to the universe. For more information, contact your local branch of Chabad, the biggest Jewish outreach organization in the universe, via http://www.chabadworld.org
Technorati Tags: 
Post new comment