Citizenship
“You are a citizen of the United States.” These are the words at the end of the naturalization process that immigrants yearn to hear and the words that natives grow up believing. It means they are part of something bigger than themselves, it means they are a part of a community. But what exactly is a citizen? Is it just a sense of belonging? Does citizenship only apply large scale, or can it describe smaller organizations? Does it entail obligations to the country? Everybody has different answers depending on their opinion of citizenship, making it a hard word to define. For me, being a citizen means I am part of a team, and being part of a team means I have a specific role to play to help the overall success. As a citizen of the United States, that includes staying politically aware and voting, but as a citizen of Virginia Tech, I believe my role is to be actively engaged in academics and extracurricular activities. Some may ask though, if they are not participating, are they still a citizen? In essence, the answer is yes, but as Peter Block states, “At the core of citizenship is the desire to care for the well-being of the larger institution, be it an organization, a neighborhood, or a country.” That can bring up the question though, who am I responsible for caring about? Just those around me? The entire world? There is a lot to think about when you think about citizenship and being a citizen.
The dictionary definition of a citizen is just describing the political essence of a citizen, the definition that would be used in a court of law. It tells what you can do as a citizen, not what you should do or are expected to do. As much as I agree with the actual dictionary definition, the definition of a citizen should be more detailed. I believe that a citizen is someone affiliated with a body, either big like the United States, or small, such as a neighborhood, that through service and active participation, works with others to better the body as a whole. I feel that a citizen does have responsibilities, such as paying taxes or dues, that are crucial for the body to keep functioning. As a citizen, I feel you should be devoted and passionate to whatever you’re a part of. Once that emotional connection is made, one is more inclined to be active and show citizenship. Active citizens are the ones that are making a change and an impact. They are the ones that are voting, staying informed about politics, speaking up, donating money, protesting. In organizations, and the country, there are those individuals that are inactive and apathetic though. They also tend to be the ones that complain the most because they are unhappy with how things are. Citizenship entails the authority to voice your opinion, to help make “a human living system move toward a common goal.”(Peter Block)
Being devoted and passionate to whatever you’re a part of doesn’t mean you have to be devoted to everyone in it. I believe a citizen should care about the country or organization as a whole, but when it comes to individuals, it can be hard. Depending on the size may determine the level of participation. For example, in a small group of friends or a sports team, one may feel responsible to each other and care about one another, but in a community as big as the United States, it can be almost impossible to care about each individual. That is why people tend to care more about those around them because they can make relationships with them and work better with them. I believe that as long as everyone is responsible for themselves and cares for at least one other person, the world will be a happy place.
My thought of an ideal citizen differs for each level. On the national level, an ideal citizen is one that has pride in their country and stays committed to it. As an American, that includes not being a Benedict Arnold and implementing anything that could potentially harm the country as a whole. I’m not saying that the perfect citizen is one that loves every aspect of America, but one that respects the country and can work with others to make changes. An ideal citizen, in my opinion, is one that does their civic duties. They vote, they stay informed, they pay their taxes, they try to obey the laws, they respect authority. It’s things that most people don’t think twice about doing because it’s such a habit, but on the same note, it’s things that some people just don’t do. With the recent election, some American citizens did not vote because they did not feel passionate about either candidate. The wellness of the country depends on the thoughts and wants of its citizens. I do understand though that isn’t easy to be the perfect citizen. As long as everyone is trying, that’s all that matters.
Everybody has a different opinion of a citizen. For me, a citizen is a member of a body, whether big or small that has certain responsibilities to contribute to the overall improvement of an organization.
The dictionary definition of a citizen is just describing the political essence of a citizen, the definition that would be used in a court of law. It tells what you can do as a citizen, not what you should do or are expected to do. As much as I agree with the actual dictionary definition, the definition of a citizen should be more detailed. I believe that a citizen is someone affiliated with a body, either big like the United States, or small, such as a neighborhood, that through service and active participation, works with others to better the body as a whole. I feel that a citizen does have responsibilities, such as paying taxes or dues, that are crucial for the body to keep functioning. As a citizen, I feel you should be devoted and passionate to whatever you’re a part of. Once that emotional connection is made, one is more inclined to be active and show citizenship. Active citizens are the ones that are making a change and an impact. They are the ones that are voting, staying informed about politics, speaking up, donating money, protesting. In organizations, and the country, there are those individuals that are inactive and apathetic though. They also tend to be the ones that complain the most because they are unhappy with how things are. Citizenship entails the authority to voice your opinion, to help make “a human living system move toward a common goal.”(Peter Block)
Being devoted and passionate to whatever you’re a part of doesn’t mean you have to be devoted to everyone in it. I believe a citizen should care about the country or organization as a whole, but when it comes to individuals, it can be hard. Depending on the size may determine the level of participation. For example, in a small group of friends or a sports team, one may feel responsible to each other and care about one another, but in a community as big as the United States, it can be almost impossible to care about each individual. That is why people tend to care more about those around them because they can make relationships with them and work better with them. I believe that as long as everyone is responsible for themselves and cares for at least one other person, the world will be a happy place.
My thought of an ideal citizen differs for each level. On the national level, an ideal citizen is one that has pride in their country and stays committed to it. As an American, that includes not being a Benedict Arnold and implementing anything that could potentially harm the country as a whole. I’m not saying that the perfect citizen is one that loves every aspect of America, but one that respects the country and can work with others to make changes. An ideal citizen, in my opinion, is one that does their civic duties. They vote, they stay informed, they pay their taxes, they try to obey the laws, they respect authority. It’s things that most people don’t think twice about doing because it’s such a habit, but on the same note, it’s things that some people just don’t do. With the recent election, some American citizens did not vote because they did not feel passionate about either candidate. The wellness of the country depends on the thoughts and wants of its citizens. I do understand though that isn’t easy to be the perfect citizen. As long as everyone is trying, that’s all that matters.
Everybody has a different opinion of a citizen. For me, a citizen is a member of a body, whether big or small that has certain responsibilities to contribute to the overall improvement of an organization.