

Finding that balance is a lifetime's work. What's hardest is to claim a position within a group while maintaining one's unique identity. It's even easier to reject the whole group. It can be tempting to change one's self to be as much like the herd as possible. And we should have the humility to recognize that we might be wrong.Ħ) Belong without assimilating.
Citizens 2.0.17 traits how to#
We should also learn how to disagree in a way that's respectful and constructive. We have to be willing to stand up for positions that are unpopular if the country will ever improve. This can be very difficult, especially when we have disagreements with people we care about deeply, but it's an essential part of good citizenship. Education involves acquiring analytical skills, philosophical understanding of one's self, and moral grounding which will allow a good citizen to use information to make decisions that benefit other citizens.ĥ) Disagree. That doesn't give it the ability to know what to do with that information. A computer can be loaded up with all kinds of information. This is not quite the same thing as being informed. This part of good citizenship is hard, but it's very important.Ĥ) Be educated. Talk with people who have different perspectives on issues. Read newspapers from other countries to see how we can sometimes be blinded by cultural assumptions. Television, even when it isn't attempting to project a particular partisan spin, is inherently prone to emotional manipulation because it pairs information with evocative imagery.
Citizens 2.0.17 traits tv#
Sources like TV and twitter are good for up-to-the-minute facts, but twitter is also loaded with opinion and misinformation. In our age of abundant information and even more abundant opinion, it can be difficult to wade through it all and figure out what is true and what is relevant. A good citizen has an obligation to understand what is going on and how it affects her/his fellow citizens. At the very least, a good citizen should vote.ģ) Be informed. In fact, the fewer people who are engaged in the political process, the more those few people have an incentive to look out for themselves, since they are not checked by the broader population.

If we choose to sit on the sidelines and complain about "the government," we turn the control over to the people who are motivated to be engaged in the governing process, and their interests might not be all of ours. If a democracy is going to function, we have to remember that it's a country run by We the People. Regardless of the mechanism, good citizens care for one another.Ģ) Be involved. It could be private acts of caring, collaborative work through religious institutions, civic groups, or labor unions, actions by private companies, or government activity. "Empathy" is a bad word in some political circles because it's associated with advocating for big government solutions to social problems, but caring can manifest in a lot of different ways. Citizens should be concerned about the good of their fellow citizens.
Citizens 2.0.17 traits crack#
Here's my first crack at it (but I'd love to hear your additions/amendments):ġ) Care. He wants a list of seven or eight characteristics of a good citizen. One of my former students asked me to help him out on a college assignment.
