Second Try: What does good citizenship mean to you?

[snarkyman]

Now that people are back from Pennsic, I'm going to try this again:


Please consider the following questions in terms of your country of citizenship.

What does it mean to be a good citizen?

Do you consider yourself to be a good citizen?

Is it important to you to be a good citizen?

Thank you.


P.S. For those curious, my answers are here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/snarkyman/49148.html

Comments

[sapphorlando.livejournal.com]

What does it mean to be a good citizen?

To me, citizenship is the manner in which a member of a republic comports themselves in respect to the demands of other members of the republic. 'Good' citizenship, in my mind, begins with an understanding and acceptance of the fundamental paradox of republican government, the balance between the demands of the individual citizen and the demands of the larger society of which they are a constituent. From there, the good citizen works to balance the other formulas of republican government: the balance of liberty and duty, and the balance of responsibility for and to other citizens. It's because of this view that I am immediately suspicious of any 'answer' in politics that seems to easy or too simple, because where large numbers of people are involved, such 'answers' are rarely workable or truly equitable. The good citizen studies all issues with a fresh and skeptical eye, with a mind towards the larger republican issues involved.


Do you consider yourself to be a good citizen?

I consider myself to be a 'good' citizen in the same way that I consider myself a 'good' driver: I try to be vigilent and aware, I try to figure out where I'm falling short, and I try to do better. I'm only human, and so in any human endeavour, whether one is 'good' may be little more sometimes than 'I mean well'. And that includes the understanding that good intentions, like bumperstickers and buttons, are not enough.


Is it important to you to be a good citizen?

More than important, I believe that good citizenship is the best -- sometimes only -- defence against the vagaries and lower human motives of society at large. I don't mean that to sound paranoid, but I don't think it's out of line to suggest that the majority of people have their own interests in mind most of the time, and either aren't aware of the larger picture or don't grasp it. Good citizenship is an imperative defence against the probably innocent but nevertheless destructive ignorance and apathy of the majority of citizens who could probably be better. If no one's making an effort to fix and improve things, then the results are easy enough to predict.