Character Counts January: Citizenship

Citizenship is Part of Character
A person of good character is someone who acts ethically by being trustworthy, respectful of others, responsible, fair and caring. Ethical people are also good citizens. But what does it mean to be a good citizen and what does the term “citizenship” really mean? Citizenship is not passive. Citizenship demands participation, involvement and contribution.
Good citizens go beyond their own interests, demonstrate a concern for the needs of others and recognize their obligations to make their home, school, neighborhood, country and world the best they can be. Citizenship is not passive. Citizenship demands participation, involvement and contribution. No one makes a difference without being involved.
Citizenship means responsibility.
Good citizenship in practice is understanding, appreciating and doing things that make life better for yourself and for other people. Citizenship is not just doing the thing that “looks good.” It is doing the thing that will really result in helping people. The good citizen thinks of the situation and the person, and tries to do what will help most. Responsibility means that the person thinks of the results of what he or she does. Citizenship is a two-way relationship and includes both rights and duties. My rights depend on you fulfilling your responsibilities. My responsibility includes the duty to see that you are free to exercise your rights.
Good citizenship is learned.
Being a good citizen means more than knowing how the government functions. The essence of good citizenship is accepting social responsibility to others and to future generations.