Posted by
ABIDAN SHAH on Thursday, November 27, 2008 10:09:28 PM
It is unreal to think that just a month ago my family and I had strolled down the street across from the Taj Hotel. It has been heartbreaking to see the beautiful historic building in flames. What makes it even more difficult is the fact that India has made some great strides lately in moving ahead in the world. These attacks have come at a time when the country is shifting and rethinking its values and foundations. When we were in India I was often asked by the young people, “So what will it take for India to shine in the world?” It was evident that the young people of India are optimistic about their future. It might be worth for them to consider what made America a shining city on a hill.
First, it’s universal freedoms. The first amendment states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble. . .” These are known as the unalienable rights – natural rights or the freedom rights. In other countries such freedoms are openly denied or partial towards some. Have these freedoms ever been abused in America? Of course but the millions of Americans who live daily in peace, honesty, and goodness is sufficient argument that freedom is still the best choice and worth defending. It is the only way that a society flourishes and prospers.
Second, it’s wonderful opportunities. The 1776 US Declaration of Independence famously asserts: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. . .” I believe that any man or woman who is willing to work hard will not go hungry in this country. In America we don’t look down on the working man or woman. We refer to someone picking up our trash as “Sir” which is the same designation we use for our family doctor. Now is everything perfect and easy? Probably not. But it is a whole lot better than what is out there.
Third, it’s foundational values. It is undeniable that our nation is under girded by certain Biblical values like “Love your neighbor as yourself”(Mark 12:31), “Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17) and “Righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:4). It’s easy to misunderstand America without understanding her guiding values. I find it ironic when America is often criticized for her foreign policy and then condemned for not responding quickly enough to some human rights violation or a natural disaster somewhere in the world. Twice America stepped in to save the world. The first was the Nazi threat and the second time it was the Soviet communists. In both situations our nation helped to rebuild Germany, Japan and Russia. Even in recent years we have seen nations holding free elections for the first time in decades.
So, can India recover from this attack just like America did after September 11th? Yes. America has proven again and again that as long as we hold on to the foundational values listed above “no weapon formed against us shall prosper.”