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(Disclaimer: We received this as an email and thought to put it up for others to see.. We simply appreciate a writer’s concept of an original material on what an American is, from their perspective and point of view.We claim no knowledge of its authenticity nor accuracy, only that, we like what it says and think of it as a well written prose).

Written by an Australian Dentist   To Kill an American 

You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.  

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)  

“An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish , Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.  

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses. 

An American is also free to believe in no religion.. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous.. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return. 

When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country! 

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America  

Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It’s been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must Hitler did. So did General  Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the  world.. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place.

They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds  to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.” 

There are things that impress us as children while growing up, though we know not what they mean. Such is the case of these wise words I heard  on the radio every morning as I prepared for school…..

“Yesterday is but a Dream, Tomorrow is only a Vision, what is important is Today. And of Today, whatever you do, will determine your yesterday’s dream, and tomorrow’s vision”.

Raffy, the DJ,  would say these words  like a prayer, a  mantra. That was some 50 years ago growing up in a small village in the Pacific Islands.  After greeting his listeners, Raffy would  then play a prose recording, I would further listen to attentively.  I could not remember the title at the time, only that the words were deeply engrained in my mind and the sentence I will never forget…. ”you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here.”

I didn’t have a clue what it meant, only that I was part of something that gave me permission to be. And in that, I found comfort and joy, that somehow, I was not alone.

I later found a little book entitled, Desiderata. This work of art sums it all up making life simpler. There is something to the process called contemplation that gives birth to wondrous works of prose and poetry such as this. Moreover, what it does for others who are fortunate to find it and serves as a catalysts inspiring them to keep on dreaming, moving, growing.  

It was a companion that in my moments of aloneness, gave me such sweetness of hope and strength, of hanging in there. Today, I find it a constant reminder that no matter where my experiences take me, there is an unfoldment that occurs that aligns me to evolve and contribute in a grander scheme called life. In that knowledge, I am at peace and one with all.

In checking wikipedia, I found this link  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiderata. I hope you get as much from it as I have, so I post it here for easy access.

DESIDERATA by Max Ehrmann (1927)

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others. Even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble, it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is, many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Here is a page showing the beautiful pamphlet it was later printed on http://desideratadays.blogspot.com/2009/03/desiderata-and-old-saint-pauls.html

Here you may request for a copy of the pamphlet  http://www.osp1692.org/osp/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=139