The Responsible Citizen

Responsibilities of a citizen April 3 2013 The responsibilities of a citizen. Responsibilities of a citizen General Purpose To inform Specific Purpose To inform normal public on the true responsibilities of a citizen Thesis Statement Embrace a far more(prenominal) holistic and positive vista on what it means to be a subtract of a club or a wider favorable group. Introduction I. The government II. What argon the roles of a citizen? III. The concept of ubuntu Body I. Ubuntu a. The gist of ubuntu II. The Plan a. Spread ubuntu III. What makes a citizen good? a. Opinions b. Perspectives ConclusionI. Embracing ubuntu II. Holistic and positive outlook III. If this philosophy is shell out the top will be a more just, prosperous and equitable America Unlike the authoritiess role that is clearly stated in the Preamble, the role of a citizen isnt as clear. plane the bill of rights clearly states the rights of a citizen. It has been amended and made inclusive as to what defines a ci tizen. Every citizen has an vista on what the role is exactly, which makes it easy to be interpreted freely. Its tempting to batch the concept of citizenship from a Western perspective.This would lead naturally to such ideas as obeying laws, voting, defending ones country, and so on. unverbalised in this perspective is the horse sense of an individual, and of us and them. For many, these ar not satisfactory, and leave a lingering sense of something missing. Perhaps it is the implied should, must or have to that causes a ripple of rebellion in the soul against these ideals. end-to-end the years it has become evident that the role of a citizen goes beyond that. Those who argon simple minded view their role as such.People who are deep thinkers tend to see other perspectives, many of which sweep a far more holistic and positive outlook on what it means to be a part of a community or a wider social group. One of them is the African concept of ubuntu. The word ubuntu comes from the grey African Bantu languages. Roughly translated, it means I am what I am because of who we all are. Ubuntu is the essence of being homophile. At the heart of the ubuntu philosophy is the idea that a person cannot be human in isolation. We are all connected, and a part of a greater whole.Therefore, we all benefit and educate when one person grows, and we are all thinned when one person is oppressed, humiliated or diminished in any way. Spreading the concept of ubuntu is the plan. This philosophy is an ideal one but it is more than possible. change magnitude the knowledge of it will help citizens of the US become more in tune with their neighbors, more mixed with society, and conscious of their actions on a daily bases. Citizens wont be ashamed or upset by what they dont have or havent yet achieved and even if they are their fellow citizens wont make them feel any worse than they already do.In fact they would embrace them up and push them to acknowledge the thing that they do have and what they have achieved. So what then are the duties as a citizen within this philosophy? Simply, it is their responsibility to be open, generous of spirit, and affirming. Just as importantly, they never need to feel threatened by somebody elses success or happiness, because they belong to the greater whole, and so they are benefiting from everyone elses happiness. Following rules or obeying laws is a natural consequence of this belief.The shift is from a negative to a positive point of view. So while the results may in many cases be the same, the motivation, sense of belonging and level of happiness can be dramatically variant. In conclusion it is clear that American society might not embrace this philosophy with open arms because of how unusual it may seem and the fact the society is basically every man for his self. The philosophy of ubuntu will make so many people uncomfortable because of how open they will have to be with one another.Since it is so different from an y philosophy that is embraced by American society it may be hard to get someone to listen, accept, and practice it. America can embrace a far more holistic and positive outlook on what it means to be a part of a community or a wider social group. There is hope for this philosophy yet, Americans must learn to love and trust one another. This philosophy is the observe to that lost love and trust. Some already practice it without knowledge. They are natural open, generous of spirit, and affirming.Too bad everyone cannot be like those individuals. Anything is possible and change is the only thing that remains constant, it just takes time. If this philosophy is spread the result will be a more just, prosperous and equitable America. Works Cited Ellis-Christensen, Tricia, and O. Wallace. What Does It Mean to Be a US Citizen? WiseGeek. Conjecture, 05 Oct. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. . Flippin, Jr. , Reverend William E. Ubuntu Applying African Philosophy in Building Community. The Huffingto n Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 05 Feb. 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. . Kelchner, Jen. Ubuntu The Philosophy of Interconnectedness-Change Your Life. Find The confessedly You. Avid Seed. Avid Seed, 08 Aug. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013. .