Citizenship
Citizenship has been a hot topic as of late, mainly involving those that are not citizens but still reside in the United States illegally, and for bringing into people from foreign nations to become citizens. Within the context of this post, citizenship extends far beyond simply some sort of legal status. As a citizen of this country, you are granted certain unalienable rights; likewise, it is expected for you to give back to your nation through civil service in some way, shape, or form. In other words, the purpose of having a nation and a government is to serve and to protect its people, who in turn support it so that all may prosper. So the natural question is, what is citizenship, and how does apply to you and me? What if you're not a citizen? How do we find time, interest, or the necessary knowledge or skills? Well, I don't happen to have those answers. But I can examine the aspects of citizenship that can hopefully be the most applicable to you and me.
Part 1: The what
So what are some actual practical examples of what I'm talking about, that is, something that you can do? In our in class brainstorming about citizenship, a variety of ideas came around: knowing about issues, getting involved on the local to national level, voting, talking to representatives, attending local meetings, paying taxes, obeying the law, so on and so forth. In Soul of a Citizen there are a plethora of examples of people changing their communities such as saving the environment or the author's personal story of success. What we must keep in mind about what we are compelled to do is that citizenship extends far beyond just a country or state or city. For example, we are all citizens of planet Earth (until we colonize somewhere else, that is), or in other words, we are all human. We are all citizens in small groups such as our friends and colleges, our families and those that we hold dear. There are so many things that we can do to be citizens of these various groups. However, it is very easy to become overwhelmed. For example, here are a list of major topics of social activism: workers unions and equal pay, fair employment practices, global health, cancer research and care, world hunger, reaching out to the poor and homeless, social justice for minority groups, alcohol and drugs, illegal immigration, terrorism, wars and other conflicts, saving endangered animals, global warming and renewable energy, pollution and waste, and this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the depth and number of these topics. Mind you, these things will generally need to be added on top of whatever daily efforts most people go through. It can be pretty overwhelming when faced with so many worthy (and determining what is is an entirely different matter) causes yet have so little time or energy to possibly dedicate to them. Well, in my own personal opinion, until we invent immortality and an unlimited source of energy and motivation, we simply can't always do something about all of these things. Life is full of many different choices, and this is no different. Just like how you have (or will) decide what you want to do for a living by deciding on one thing and leaving the others, we must be very selective of the causes that we champion. Which leads me to....
Part 2: The who
Well, you, obviously. But more specifically, what is it that YOU should do? As stated before, as mortal beings that also have a limit willpower, we can only do so much. Hence, we must ultimately choice what to leave behind. However, it's not a black and white matter, you don't cherry pick what you like and abandon everything else. This is about choosing what you actually physically can do. You should, no matter what, try to care for a cause that you deem noble and worthy. For example, I may care about eradicating diseases in foreign countries, but at the current moment it is unlikely that I'll suddenly become a doctor and go abroad to do that myself. After all, I'm just a university student with barely any idea what he's doing, so unless I land myself in a series of miracles, I'm not joining that battle personally. So, I must decide how involved I want to be. Do I merely give cash as a sign of support, or maybe I try spreading awareness about the topic? While we as individuals have a very limited ability to be able to change every aspect the world, we can always support those that can in their own ways. So coming back to my definition of citizenship, we choose to give to build up others, and they do the same in return for an ultimately better world. We live in a world where there is no shortage of information and power for an individual. Once again, while I may not be able to do everything like in the KIA Superbowl commercial, there are always ways that I can show my support, if simply in speaking to others about it. Life is all about how you budget your time: what do you spend your time on, how much, and why.
Part 3: The how
So, back to the most important bit, what is something that is literally applicable, preferably now? Well, I don't know your life so I can't answer that for you. I can, however, give you three tips that can hopefully help. One, put yourself in an environment where you can hear about the needs of the world. This can be as simply as looking more closely at your surroundings in your day to day life. Instead of simply tuning out signs, protests, speakers, messages, and so on, try to see what they're saying. Is it something you agree with? Is it something you need more information on? Is it something you disagree with, that you feel should be corrected in a civil manner? Simply taking a minute to notice all that needs to be done is half of the battle. Try to spend time where you can learn more. Maybe it's actually reading a good news source, listening to TED talks or other videos on YouTube, perhaps it's there while you're browsing social media. Maybe it's even just the homeless person you see on the side of the road, or litter strewn along the path. Two, sit back, reflect about how you budget your time. Self reflection is something that is woefully absent in modern times. The simply fact that books about slowing down have become so successful is indicative of how fast paced our society is and how little time we spend analyzing our lives. In this reflection, seriously think about how you use your time. Is there time that tends to be wasted every day? Is there things that can be done more effectively, or to save me time to do other things? Chances are, most people who tend to be 'busy' have at least some time to give, because all it really takes to start making a difference is the smallest amount of time. This basically goes along with the communities mention in Soul of a Citizen Chapter 8, by finding ways to allocated certain jobs to other people, certain individuals opened up time for themselves to start being active. Third, baby steps. The second half of the battle is really just getting started in the first place. Once something gets started, it can very easily grow into something bigger and bigger. Think about what you can do today and in the near future. Can you send emails to your local representative? Maybe attend a town hall meeting? You could attend a talk at your local school. Maybe you can ask questions to the people you see will a display board and a stand up at the University Center. Even the smallest decisions can snowball into something bigger. How many of the stories in Soul of a Citizen begin with someone learning something new or about something they disagree with, and starting a movement with just themselves, however incapable of a person they are? And once you've found something, nothing's really stopping you now, is it? You can throw away your apprehensions, the things that are holding you back but can so easily be changed yourself. But hey, I'm no inspiration speaker, so... take it away, Shia.
Part 1: The what
So what are some actual practical examples of what I'm talking about, that is, something that you can do? In our in class brainstorming about citizenship, a variety of ideas came around: knowing about issues, getting involved on the local to national level, voting, talking to representatives, attending local meetings, paying taxes, obeying the law, so on and so forth. In Soul of a Citizen there are a plethora of examples of people changing their communities such as saving the environment or the author's personal story of success. What we must keep in mind about what we are compelled to do is that citizenship extends far beyond just a country or state or city. For example, we are all citizens of planet Earth (until we colonize somewhere else, that is), or in other words, we are all human. We are all citizens in small groups such as our friends and colleges, our families and those that we hold dear. There are so many things that we can do to be citizens of these various groups. However, it is very easy to become overwhelmed. For example, here are a list of major topics of social activism: workers unions and equal pay, fair employment practices, global health, cancer research and care, world hunger, reaching out to the poor and homeless, social justice for minority groups, alcohol and drugs, illegal immigration, terrorism, wars and other conflicts, saving endangered animals, global warming and renewable energy, pollution and waste, and this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the depth and number of these topics. Mind you, these things will generally need to be added on top of whatever daily efforts most people go through. It can be pretty overwhelming when faced with so many worthy (and determining what is is an entirely different matter) causes yet have so little time or energy to possibly dedicate to them. Well, in my own personal opinion, until we invent immortality and an unlimited source of energy and motivation, we simply can't always do something about all of these things. Life is full of many different choices, and this is no different. Just like how you have (or will) decide what you want to do for a living by deciding on one thing and leaving the others, we must be very selective of the causes that we champion. Which leads me to....
Part 2: The who
Well, you, obviously. But more specifically, what is it that YOU should do? As stated before, as mortal beings that also have a limit willpower, we can only do so much. Hence, we must ultimately choice what to leave behind. However, it's not a black and white matter, you don't cherry pick what you like and abandon everything else. This is about choosing what you actually physically can do. You should, no matter what, try to care for a cause that you deem noble and worthy. For example, I may care about eradicating diseases in foreign countries, but at the current moment it is unlikely that I'll suddenly become a doctor and go abroad to do that myself. After all, I'm just a university student with barely any idea what he's doing, so unless I land myself in a series of miracles, I'm not joining that battle personally. So, I must decide how involved I want to be. Do I merely give cash as a sign of support, or maybe I try spreading awareness about the topic? While we as individuals have a very limited ability to be able to change every aspect the world, we can always support those that can in their own ways. So coming back to my definition of citizenship, we choose to give to build up others, and they do the same in return for an ultimately better world. We live in a world where there is no shortage of information and power for an individual. Once again, while I may not be able to do everything like in the KIA Superbowl commercial, there are always ways that I can show my support, if simply in speaking to others about it. Life is all about how you budget your time: what do you spend your time on, how much, and why.
Part 3: The how
So, back to the most important bit, what is something that is literally applicable, preferably now? Well, I don't know your life so I can't answer that for you. I can, however, give you three tips that can hopefully help. One, put yourself in an environment where you can hear about the needs of the world. This can be as simply as looking more closely at your surroundings in your day to day life. Instead of simply tuning out signs, protests, speakers, messages, and so on, try to see what they're saying. Is it something you agree with? Is it something you need more information on? Is it something you disagree with, that you feel should be corrected in a civil manner? Simply taking a minute to notice all that needs to be done is half of the battle. Try to spend time where you can learn more. Maybe it's actually reading a good news source, listening to TED talks or other videos on YouTube, perhaps it's there while you're browsing social media. Maybe it's even just the homeless person you see on the side of the road, or litter strewn along the path. Two, sit back, reflect about how you budget your time. Self reflection is something that is woefully absent in modern times. The simply fact that books about slowing down have become so successful is indicative of how fast paced our society is and how little time we spend analyzing our lives. In this reflection, seriously think about how you use your time. Is there time that tends to be wasted every day? Is there things that can be done more effectively, or to save me time to do other things? Chances are, most people who tend to be 'busy' have at least some time to give, because all it really takes to start making a difference is the smallest amount of time. This basically goes along with the communities mention in Soul of a Citizen Chapter 8, by finding ways to allocated certain jobs to other people, certain individuals opened up time for themselves to start being active. Third, baby steps. The second half of the battle is really just getting started in the first place. Once something gets started, it can very easily grow into something bigger and bigger. Think about what you can do today and in the near future. Can you send emails to your local representative? Maybe attend a town hall meeting? You could attend a talk at your local school. Maybe you can ask questions to the people you see will a display board and a stand up at the University Center. Even the smallest decisions can snowball into something bigger. How many of the stories in Soul of a Citizen begin with someone learning something new or about something they disagree with, and starting a movement with just themselves, however incapable of a person they are? And once you've found something, nothing's really stopping you now, is it? You can throw away your apprehensions, the things that are holding you back but can so easily be changed yourself. But hey, I'm no inspiration speaker, so... take it away, Shia.
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