Although some Americans are selfish, the fact is the majority of Americans are actually selfless. Veterans Day has the selflessness many Americans carry throughout their daily lives. “He was making the flag because he knew how important it was for us to be able to pledge out allegiance to our flag and country” (Sentinel 7). Even though the individual was beaten for sewing the American flag, the continuance to sew for the fellow cell members shows real selflessness. Having a role to provide for another family is shown in I Hear America Singing. “Each singing what belongs to him and her and none else.”(Whitman 12) Being selfless is shown by each family giving up time and money to help community’s strive. Helping others is the main quality described
"If people sometimes act for others, it is only because they think that it is in their own best interests to do so (David MacKinnon)”. I would say all actions is motivated by self-interest because self-interest, constantly have people striving to think of new ways to achieve their ambitions and protect their interests. The only possible way to get someone to not spend their lives as a devious deceitful person with power would be to persuade them that striving for more power and pleasure to enjoy an eternity in heaven. However, self-interest acts do not always require us to live in order to achieve our goals. One can just as much die to hurt people as easy as they can die to save people. For example, terrorism they are willing to die to kill.
The American people strive to make themselves the best version of a model citizen they can be. Each person in America has an abundance of patriotism that keeps them from slacking from the progress they have made in becoming honest, diligent, innovative people. All Americans work toward those characteristics because they are what makes a person an ideal American citizen. Honesty is one of the key qualities to being a good citizen. When a person is honest they are easy to trust and can be counted on in times of need. An honest person is desired in every community because they are simply good people. An American should also be diligent. In today’s society without trying hard to accomplish what a person desires to do, it is nearly impossible.
What does being selfless mean to you? According to Oxford English Dictionary, selflessness is “concern more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.” (James Murray, “selflessness”). In our society today, not many people are likely to be selfless especially if it means putting a stranger’s well-being above their own. Many people will not even put a close friend or family member’s needs above their own. Sometimes people find the will to help someone who is in need, but that does not happen very often. Most of the time, if a person goes out of their way to help someone in need, they will expect to gain something out of it such as fame or money. Very rarely do people do things for others that involve harming their lives because then they do not gain anything from their acts. In the novel Kindred, by Octavia Butler, Dana shows her selflessness through always putting people and their needs first. She first does it with her ancestors and then even begins helping other slaves who need her help. Selflessness is an important key to everyone's personality. In our society, we often expect rewards for doing a good deed, however being selfless without getting rewarded is what really counts. When Dana saved Rufus the first time, Margret punched and beat her instead of thanking her. Dana must have been confused since she did not get thanked or rewarded by Tom and Margaret, but rather was beat and almost shot. Being selfless can also motivate more people and even yourselves.
There are many traits that a person should have to be considered a good American. First he needs to be patriotic. He should possess both a personal and moral Courage, have integrity, loyalty and honor, and demonstrate selfless Service. A man’s love for his country reveals a lot about his true self. Secondly, a good american should have respect. Respect for themselves, others and authority. He should always take responsibility for his actions, contribute to society and take initiative to make things better when he can. A good american should be content and grateful for what he has and always have compassion and forgiveness towards
Selflessness is the idea that one is able to be more concerned with the needs of others over themselves. The value of selflessness is crucial in the Younger household, and is exemplified by Mama who plans on using the insurance money selflessly to buy a house for her family, rather than taking a vacation. Despite this excellent guide, Walter has a sense of entitlement to the insurance money as he says, “He was my father too.” (Hansberry 38). Due to his poor economic conditions, Walter
When veterans day comes around it always has me thinking what does being an american means to me? What being an american means to me is to be free. I say this because I have the freedom to go to school, I can go anywhere, and I am free to have whatever job I want. But I also know that in other countries there is not a lot of freedom, like in africa there are people starving, there are people who can't go to school, or even get the job they want. Also what being an american means to me is to be safe. The U.S of course has bad days but I know in reality we have a strong military to back us up. To me being an american is important and you shouldn't abuse it because ,as stated earlier, in other counties they don't have the same rights as US. An american to me also means to have freedoms.
A true American takes pride in the fact that they are American. They use honest and hard working labor as one of their traditions. America has been home to many traditions that Americans embody and make their own. Civilians in this outstanding, applaud worthy nations The cost of freedom has always been high, but the spirit of Americans has always made freedom a priority. We have been a land of firsts, and we continue to lead the way in innovation as well as the ideal civilian life. True Americans have loved all of the components of their life and they have had pride in their work, nation, and
Can someone understand the meaning of being American, if they don’t understand the magnitude of history, blood, sweat, and tears that went into even making being American possible? Can one even dream to love this country without this knowledge? To love this country and to be American is to know what the come to pass, and what the future might hold.
Humanity has thought of many ways of besting one another. Whether it be for military weapons, government, or how fertile the soil is, they always want to be better. First world countries seek to digitize everything to live in a world of luxury while third world countries long for opportunities and freedom. What they don’t have is what they desire, and what they already obtain they improve tenfold. Stronger, faster, bigger, better: this is the motto every other person subconsciously believes.
Selfless service is when individuals place others needs before their own interests. By placing yourself in harm’s way because it is your duty to your nation and being happy that others can succeed is another form of selfless service. Soldiers sacrifice their freedom, their time and their family so that others in this great country can be safe, secure and free.
American's are a peculiar people! We have either come here from another country, or we are the descendants of immigrants. Whatever the case, we are a unified people who are driven by similar aims and goals: the American Dream. Whether one is a newly arrived immigrant or sixth generation American, serving the greater good of our country is important to us. Being an American means being part of the immigrant experience, being part of a unified group, and serving one's country. I draw this definition from Anzia Yezerska in "America and I," President Frankling Roosevelt in " Address on the occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty," and Senator John McCain in his speech "Verterans Day: Never Forget Their Duty." Sample
America, the most majestic, beautiful, and free nation in the world. I am proud to be an American citizen. I could not imagine living anywhere else in the world. This nation has so much to give. Natural resources, vast oceans and rivers, majestic mountains, and fertile valleys. The freedom that this nation offers to me and my family is an honor and a liberty that I will never abuse. I am 12 years old and I revere and embrace everything this nation has to offer, however I’m sad to say many of my peers are not as enthusiastic as I am. Many of them are lazy, do not respect the public property, and do not help with anything. One of the closest things to my heart are the veterans, they sacrifice their life so me and my peers can have all
I agree with your first paragraph completely. Because we are Americans, often times we get boastful about our day to day activities due to our freedoms the constitution grants us. Americans also tend to have a "my way or the highway" kind of attitude. On the bright side though, like you said, we are proud and patriotic which makes us unstoppable in every way. The love for our great nation continues to bring us together and even aided you in writing that truthful and superb paragraph about us.
Americans frequently act in a patriotic manner. One way this is shown is through the numerous nationalistic holidays Americans celebrate. These include Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans’ Day. On these holidays, Americans set off fireworks, and decorate their communities in festive national colors. This patriotism is also shown in our school and sports traditions. During every school day, students recite, hand over heart, the Pledge of Allegiance. Furthermore, at the beginning of every major sporting event, the national anthem is sung, and in baseball games, “God Bless America” is also performed. This is always done in America, but is much less common elsewhere in the world. In part because of this behavior, which could easily be called worship, Americans have come to believe in their superiority over the rest of the world, a component of both patriotism and nationalism. For example, in his “Address on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty,” Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated that immigrants, “looking to the future, … wisely choose that their children shall live in the new language and in the new customs of this new people” (Springboard, page 10). This clearly signifies the belief that American culture is inherently better than that of other nations. Regardless of one’s stance on that, it must be recognized that the blind dismissal of other cultures is detrimental to the nation. Through these actions and beliefs, Americans can undoubtedly be seen as patriotic, even to a point of
Finding the right balance between being independent but not selfish is issue that has been around for ages and leads one to ask, how exactly are they different? Distinguishing between these two traits is not easy, and in many ways they seem somewhat similar. However, despite their surface level similarities, self-reliance is a central part of maturity and independence, while self-centeredness is a form arrogance.