Using your reading from last week (Thoreau & King) as a jump off point, please think about what a “citizen” is. How would you define a “good citizen” of the United States? How does Thoreau define a good citizen? Would Martin Luther King agree with your definition or with Thoreau's?
A good citizen of the United States must have the good of the people at the fore-front of their minds. I believe one must not only be a good citizen of the United States but a good citizen of the Earth as well. The laws that have been created are set up to protect each of our rights. The one thing we must all be mindful of is that the laws have been created by human beings and thus, are not without error. As time moves forward and the nation progresses, laws that may have been very beneficial must be altered to meet the needs of new generations and a new world.
Civil obedience may become necessary to bring to light a law that needs altering or has become obsolete. Theact of civil disobedience brings the injustice to the minds and hearts of the people it was meant to protect. The term “All men are created equal” has been transformed through history to include not only men, but women as well. Also, the term “All men” has come to be defined as all humans, of any color, religion, creed, and culture.As events happen that transform our thinking, as citizens, such as 9-11, World War I, World War II, and atrocities around the globe, we come to a new definition of “all men”.
Thoreau and King both had an understanding of the transforming that was needed for the citizens of the United States to begin thinking in new terms. They both new the power of civil disobedience and had the insight to see the changes that were so desperately needed. They saw the value of a “good citizen” as being one who could stand up for the people and speak out. They also knew the power of being in control of ones’ self with a will for a non-violent approach,a peaceful approach with the good of the people as the subject of their thoughts.
Explain your personal philosophy regarding your individual rights, freedoms, morality and responsibilities, especially to the law, your community, and country. What responsibilities come with being free? Who decides what these responsibilities are? Do these responsibilities require enforcement? If so, by whom?
I feel that the best law I can abide by comes from the Bible. It also comes in other wording in almost every religious order across the globe. “Do unto other as you would have them do unto you.” It seems like a simple law but it is far more complicated than that in the world today.
A simple philosophy can become complicated when we look at keeping a community, a city, a state, and a nation running smooth. We cannot always gain all of the facts we need to make the decisions of what is just and unjust. We pay taxes, yet see others gain. We give to the needy through organizations, yet see individuals prosper through greed. We strive to be the “good citizen” yet see others suffer and fall through the cracks of our imperfect governmental programs. Who do we turn to? Where can the answers come from? How do we begin to fix the problems our society has?
We look to our government to implement changes. Unfortunately, we must filter through all of the media hype and mud-slinging to elect those into office that may be of value. One can only hope we make good choices as we vote. The polls close, the new officials are sworn in, and then we sit back and wait to see if any of the new voices will protect our freedoms or complicate our existence further still.
What is your belief with regard to the (U.S.) role in the world today and in the years to come? Do you believe that the U.S. has a responsibility, as a nation founded on the principles of freedom, justice, democracy and tolerance, to promote and protect these values around the world? Why or why not? Do we have enough resources to keep the world safe? Is it our responsibility to make every effort to bring peace to other countries? What if they ask us for help?
As we have become a technologically advanced society, as a nation, we may feel superior to other nations. This I feel is a danger to humankind as a whole. As history shows, when a group of people begins to feel superior it begins to make others either comply to its’ way of thinking or to rid the world of the lesser people. This has happened over and over throughout the history of the world. In World War II, for example, the Jewish people became a hated group. The Germans people were guided into thinking of them as aliens and less than human.
In the United States we are still battling with the prejudices of many of our citizens. African-American’s were brought here, against their will, as slaves to be bought and sold as property. To this day we still have not advanced to the point where we can all see each other as equal. There are many blacks that still feel the injustices on a daily basis. We also have many Native American citizens living in poverty on reservationsbecause of the injustices done to them. What will become of the Mexican-Americans as our health care systems and resources become overloaded in the states with many immigrants, illegal or not? Will this have an effect on the way we, as a nation, feel about them?
The United States has gained some respect as a country filled with many cultural differences, freedoms, and tolerance. If we are asked to help a country, we must be careful to respect the cultures and government of that country. We must also be careful to not invoke our form of government onanother. We do have in interest in keeping world peace just as every country should, but we cannot become the “world police” to fix all of the problems of the world. We must have the wisdom to choose and carefully contemplate when and when not to help and intervene. Our pockets are not deep and all families suffer when war becomes the solution.