Ethics

"Love for a nation is among faith." Love is a responsibility…as faith is also a responsibility.

Love and relationship, with one nation and country, grows more and more. It is not just an emotional relation that is related to family, language, culture and ideology, rather, it is a responsible relation in two ways: A nations' responsibility toward its citizens and the citizens' responsibility toward the nation.

It is our big family; can we leave our relationship, help and solving our small family problems? Do not we feel that we are part of it; it hurts us what hurts it and makes us happy what makes it happy? The case is the same with our nation and country…it is our big family that requires a great service in building and developing it, as well as, bringing it out from darkness, dependency, total decay, ignorance and backwardness, as it requires us to protect it from diseases, spiritual and material calamities. This love can also make us take up weapons in order to defend it from its enemy that is against its citizens, security, economy, as well as, sacrifice for its independence and dignity. As it is the responsibility of the occupiers of a small house to defend it, likewise, it is our responsibility to defend our big house (country).

What we see from some of our youth today is lack of national feeling, this is the cultural and educational responsibility. What we mean by national feeling is knowing the state of the nation, its history, the men that sacrificed their lives for its sake, its culture, and politics, as well as, relating to its past, present and future.

Among the requirement of this feeling is to take the responsibility of taking care of its social, economic, political and morals need, and working hard in its development that becomes the target of enemies, weapons and destruction. The national responsibility is of many branches, requiring every ability in developing its components as well as reforming the spoiled part and to be in service of its educational, industrial, intellectual and working fields.

It requires us to work in order to reform its environment, its water, trees, animals and other natural gifts. In addition, we should be its messengers and ambassadors wherever we found ourselves. Imam Ali (a.s.) said: "Your countries have rights upon you, you are responsible even for (its) land and animals."

Adapted from the book: "Youth Aspiration Towards Responsibility" by:  "Al Balagh Foundation"