Ten Things You Can Do For Your Country

From Kennedy's January 20, 1961 inauguaral speech

In times like these, here is the kind of message I would love to hear from politicians, educators, presidents and religious leaders everywhere:

My fellow Americans, the only way a nation can become truly great is for its citizens to become truly good. So in the spirit of John F. Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you...” here are ten things you can do for your country:

1. Become friends with people who are different from you. Engage in conversations in which you listen to, and learn from, the diversity of your respective cultures, traditions and faith convictions.

2. Be generous with your neighbors in need. Government programs must do their part, but each of us needs to give generously of our time and resources to help those less fortunate across the street and around the world.

3. Live a life of integrity and responsibility. Do your best at your work or school every day. Never defraud your workers, employers, government agencies, insurance companies, or any other persons or institutions.

4. Obey all legitimate laws, and work to change unjust ones. Be law abiding not just for fear of being caught but simply because of who you are and the good example you want to set for others.

5. Respect all life from the womb to the tomb. Honor the unborn, and help spare the already born from the ravages of abuse, hunger, disease, poverty, injustice, war and all forms of violence.

6. Reserve “going all the way” with a chosen partner until you are publicly committed to “going all the way” in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, until death do you part. Be faithful to your spouse, and if you have children, bring them up in a stable, loving and nurturing household.

7. Take special care of the planet’s soil, air and water. Reduce wasteful consumption by living simply, buying locally, reusing and enjoying more of what you already have, recycling everything possible, and by relying less on forms of energy that pollute the atmosphere and waste scarce resources.

8. Don’t harm your body with tobacco, illegal drugs, or other harmful substances. Take personal responsibility for your health by eating right, exercising regularly and maintaining a good level of emotional and spiritual well-being.

9. Honor your parents, grandparents and all aging and dependent persons. Care for them as you would want to be cared for when you become unable to care for yourself.

10. Avoid entertainment media that promote pornography, denigrate women, and glorify violence--and make sure to protect children from their destructive influences. Spend less time with TV, screen media, video games and the internet and more time in wholesome interactions with real people.

With God’s help and the help of good people in our congregations and communities, we could truly make ours a great nation and the whole world a better neighborhood. In the process we could save billions in law enforcement and court expenses, in health care costs, in prisons and in social service programs.

Best of all, none of the above would require special legislation or more tax dollars, only more personal responsibility by ordinary citizens like you and me.

A revised version of a July 11, 2011 blog.