Citizen
By: Melina Farahmand
CEO & Founder of Past Present Future
"Let us remember we are all part of one American family. We are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, basic respect for public order, and the right of peaceful protest. "
-Barack Obama
“It falls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task we've been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours. Because for all our outward differences, we all share the same proud title: Citizen.” - Barack Obama
I've said it before and I'll say it again: America is a country filled with people of every background and faith imaginable. That's what makes us as a country so special. We all have our own stories. We all come from different places. We all believe and practice different faiths. We are all unique.So, what does it mean to be a citizen of the free world? What does it mean to be a citizen of one of the most powerful nations on Earth?Some people believe that,“What it means to be an American is less about who you are than what you are about— how you live your life, how you contribute to this country, how you pledge allegiance to a flag hoping and praying it will make room for you. What it means to be an American is in the hearts of the people who, in their struggles and heartaches, in their joys and triumphs, fight for America and fight to be American every day. - Huffington Post. I agree with this statement but to me being an American means something even deeper than that… It means to be free. Free to say what we want. Free to be who we want. Free to explore. Free to practice whatever religion we want. Free to choose our future. Being an American citizen also means to know respect. Respecting people even if you may disagree with them or maybe even their spiritual beliefs. Respecting others who have put their lives on the line in the name of the country they love and admire, respecting the fallen heroes. Respecting people even if we may not like them for a certain reason. I was raised to be kind to people and respectful to people even if they weren’t to me. I was raised to always express love and kindness and hope. Never hate and fear. I have always been respectful of other’s opinions however, if your opinion or belief disrespects someone’s existence, well… that’s when I have the right to not show you respect. Being an American citizen also means being proud of your country and being proud to be a citizen of this country. It means “E pluribus unum,” the motto of the United States, “From many, one.” It means working with your fellow citizens to make this nation even better for future generations. It means coming together whenever an attack has happened.In the words of former President Barack Obama during his farewell address,"For 240 years, our nation's call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation. It's what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny, pioneers to trek west, slaves to brave that makeshift railroad to freedom. It's what pulled immigrants and refugees across oceans and the Rio Grande, pushed women to reach for the ballot, powered workers to organize. It's why GIs gave their lives at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima; Iraq and Afghanistan—and why men and women from Selma to Stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well.” Being a citizen has given people purpose and meaning to life. As mentioned before America is filled with people of many different beliefs: spiritual and political. It seems that the political beliefs are the ones that cause the most fights and hatred in this country. I don't care if you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent- if you are a kind, hard working, patriotic person, who instills hope not fear, love and not hate. And represents this country with honor and integrity then I don't care what your political beliefs are. As long as your beliefs don’t discriminate against someone’s existence, and believe in taking away our basic human rights. I know so many patriotic, dedicated, and intelligent people who are members of the democratic party, I also know so many compassionate, patriotic, and strong people who are members of the Republican party, and so many selfless, hard working, patriotic people who are Independents. There’s one word I used to describe all of them. And that word is patriotic. We all stand up proudly to pledge allegiance to that red, white and blue flag that represents America and symbolizes freedom and dreams. The word Patriotic embodies the spirit of immigrants, LGBT+ members, the disabled, the elderly, and women, men, and children. It represents the members of our armed forces present and past.Remember this, before you are a conservative or a liberal you are a citizen of not the liberal America or the conservative America, or what some people call the divided America. You are a citizen of the United States of America. “Understand, democracy does not require uniformity. Our founders quarreled and compromised, and expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity—the idea that for all our outward differences, we are all in this together; that we rise or fall as one.” - Barack Obama We aren’t always going to agree on everything and that’s okay. Because this country wasn’t created by a group of men who agreed on everything. It seems that debating and having outward differences is in our American DNA. Which is okay!That is the America I know and love, and that’s what it means to be an American citizen. We are brave, we are fired by passion, we are undaunted by challenge, and most importantly, we are not the type of people to ever give up.