[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 VFW VOICE OF DEMOCRACY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM'S UTAH WINNER NICOLE HINTZE

                                 ______


                            HON. BILL ORTON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 24, 1994

  Mr. ORTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for my colleagues' 
interest and benefit the following essay written by Ms. Nicole Hintze, 
a high school student in East Carbon, UT. Each year students from 
around the Nation compete in the Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program 
essay contest sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars. Nicole, who is currently a senior at East Carbon High 
School, was selected as the Utah State winner. I would like to share 
her thoughts on ``My Commitment to America'' with all of you, in the 
hope that we can all share Nicole's dedication to preserving America 
and its freedoms for ourselves and our children.

                        My Commitment to America

                           (By Nicole Hintze)

       A man stood upon a mountain peak. In his being were the 
     people of all nations, races, and creeds. There was a 
     complete and awesome silence, and then the silence was broken 
     by a voice asking this question, ``For what purpose are you 
     living?'' Terrified and bewildered, the man sank upon his 
     knees because he was in the presence of the Lord. In his 
     confusion, he cried out, ``For what purpose am I living? Why, 
     Lord, the purpose of my living is everywhere evident. From 
     our humming factories are coming thousands of things 
     producing a civilization that has never before existed. We 
     have conquered distance, developed the power of electricity, 
     projected our voice thousands of miles through space, and 
     have utilized the power of the sun. What we have done in the 
     past is nothing compared to what we can accomplish in the 
     next fifty years.''
       Again through the special abyss came this voice: ``You have 
     done all of these things, but think again, for what purpose 
     are you living?''
       If you had been asked this question, what would your answer 
     have been? For what purpose are we living? The prospects for 
     the next fifty years are breathtaking. What tomorrow will 
     bring is almost impossible to imagine. We are only on the 
     threshold concerning the conquest of disease and the ills of 
     old age. Machines are becoming more and more efficient, 
     making possible an ever-increasing standard of living. The 
     robot factory is just around the corner doing away with the 
     heaviest type of human labor.
       Yet, there is something wrong with this picture. Our 
     civilization is sick. Man stands huddled in fear amidst the 
     countless gadgets of his culture. With every new invention 
     has come the greater threat of wiping out his entire 
     existence.
       We have created many things to live by, but nothing to live 
     for. What do we have to look forward to in our future?
       Raymond E. Baldwin said, ``Many of us often feel that, in 
     the move of tremendous events, our individual voices are too 
     small to be heard--that there is little we, as individuals, 
     can do to direct the rushing course of history. But there is 
     a field in which each of us can serve--and has a duty to 
     serve--that is in his own community and among his own 
     friends, to recall the good of our American system and join 
     in efforts to improve whatever failings it has.''
       Not all of us can make a difference in our nation or even 
     worldwide; but, with a little effort, every one of us can 
     make a difference in our community, county, and even state. 
     But, we can't sit back and let others worry about it; we must 
     take the initiative to do it ourselves.
       There are many reasons we should do this. Not only do we 
     owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children and 
     grandchildren. We also owe it to our ancestors. They did 
     their best to make America what it is today, and we must do 
     our best to make sure it stays that way. John Quincy Adams 
     said, ``You will never know how much it has cost my 
     generation to preserve your freedom and our country. I hope 
     you will make good use of it.''
       What we do with our country today will carry on forever; 
     therefore, we must try to fix and repair some of the damages 
     already done. It is our responsibility and our commitment to 
     make sure our nation stays great.
       A nation is made great, not by its fruitful acres, but by 
     the men who cultivate them; not by its great forests, but by 
     the men who build and run them. America was a great land when 
     Columbus discovered it. Americans have made it a great 
     nation.
       For what purpose are we living? The military geniuses, the 
     scientists, and the politicians have not solved the world's 
     problems. People all over the world are ill-fed, ill-housed, 
     and ill-clothed. The fine hopes for a brave new world 
     produced by war are gone. If there is any hope for the 
     future, we must modernize an old Chinese prayer to read, 
     ``Oh, Lord, make the world, my country, my city, my church, 
     my home, better--and begin with me.'' We have constructed 
     wonderful buildings and destroyed human creativeness. We have 
     learned to fly through the air and swim through the sea, and 
     yet we do not know how to walk on this earth like men. We 
     have established a better world in which to live, but now we 
     do not know how to live in it.
       We need to recall the words of former Chief Justice Charles 
     Evans Hughes, ``The peril to this nation is not in any 
     foreign foe. We the people are its power, its peril, its 
     hope.''
       Our commitment must be to do whatever we can to preserve 
     America and the ``freedoms'' we take for granted. We must not 
     forget our ancestors, our children, or our grandchildren. We 
     must not disappoint them. We must do our part in our 
     community, county, and state. We can make a difference; and 
     that should be our commitment to America.
       If we are going to have a better world in fifty years, we 
     must work for it today. We must begin now. A great man once 
     said: ``I am only one, but I am one, I cannot do everything, 
     but I can do something. What I can do I ought to do, and By 
     the grace of God, I will do.''
       This is my commitment to America.

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