Register now or log in to join your professional community.
Another 'Brainstorming' Question! Bundle of thanks Sir Heavenly.
To me, a Good Citizen is produced by Good Parents who;
It does make no difference whether the Parents are Poor or Rich; Illiterate or Educated.
I think by poor illitrate parents because they face many obstacles in their life.due to that bad experience if they get right oppertunity they utilise it properly and become good human being as well as good citizen.
Thanks
Both of them effect on good citizen personality and make him-her
And there are many examples:
- Mh. Gandhi.
- Beethoven
- Many others
Agree with your statement Mr.John. mostly is the true and acceptable. thanks.
Educated Parents of course.
There’s an old story about a blind man walking towards a well, and there’s a guy watching. If the blind man falls into the well, who gets the blame? The blind man? Or the guy who’s watching? Understanding what it means to be a true citizen makes the answer clear.
Look up the word “citizenship” and you’ll quickly realize that citizenship isn’t a static idea. It’s about more than simply belonging to a particular place—“I am a citizen, therefore I have citizenship.” It’s also not true that you “possess” citizenship in order to enjoy certain privileges. Rather, most definitions suggest that citizens are expected to act in a certain way. Even U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which lists seven basic rights for citizens, also outlines nine responsibilities. At its core, citizenship implies duty.
This is not a new idea. From the Ancient Greeks to the Roman Empire to Modern philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, citizenship has involved some type of obligation to the State or fellow citizens. However, the extent of that obligation depends on how broadly or narrowly we interpret citizenship.
For some, citizenship is no more than meeting the terms of our social contract: We respect the law and give up some personal freedoms in exchange for certain benefits and protection. Others take more of a “live and let live” attitude. John Locke summed it up this way: “No one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.”
That might be fine when things are going well. But what happens when there’s conflict, as we’re seeing now in the U.S. with disputes over immigration and debates around the world over how to respond to the current refugee crisis? Or in situations where being a “good citizen” in one place puts us at odds with, or even creates hardship for, people in other places?
Concepts of citizenship that are understood only in the context of geopolitical boundaries, and therefore aren’t applied to outsiders, can cause us to act in ways that aren’t very citizen-like. But I believe that’s just wrong. Citizenship should never be used to divide.
So what’s the answer? We need to expand our idea of what it means to be a citizen. We’ve got to look beyond our neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries. And we need to see our duty as going beyond avoiding harm or abstaining from wrongdoing; it even goes beyond being polite or civil. We’ve simply got to think bigger.
At a fundamental level, all human beings are citizens of the world. Therefore, our practice of citizenship should extend to all mankind. With that in mind, the only type of citizenship that holds value is one that actively promotes goodness and well-being for all of humanity—especially those who need it most.
I believe the responsibility for those of us with more—be it money, talents, time, or skills—is to serve those with less. You don’t have to be rich to be effective. No matter who you are, you can do great things. But if you have any kind of means and you’re not doing something for those who are suffering, then you’re not really a citizen.
Actions, not words, are what define and validate. Take a carpenter. You can’t call someone a carpenter unless he does something with wood. The same is true of a citizen. Citizen is not a title. It’s an action.
Citizenship will look different for different people. And that’s how it should be. If we were all the same, had the same skillsets, and all worked on the same problems, then a lot of needs would go unmet. But if you’re looking for where to start, here’s one suggestion based on what I’ve done:
Look at what you have—not just money and things, but also time, skills, strengths and weaknesses—and then look at those with less. What do they need? And how can you serve? At the most fundamental level, citizenship is service.
For me, that relative comparison gives me a different perspective, which affects my evaluation of myself, and shows me what my duty really is. Because in the end, it’s not what I want to do that matters. It’s not about me.
Once you’ve considered what to do, look to those you admire and who have done a lot more. Then strive to emulate the good in them.
Through the work I do now with Billions in Change, my goal is to address some of the fundamental issues facing the world. I’ve got a team of inventors making useful products in the areas of water, energy, and health that we’re hoping will enable people to earn a livelihood, become self-sustaining, escape poverty, and experience well-being. The way I see it, my customers are the unlucky half of the world—those who have not had the opportunity to make a living because of circumstances beyond their control. I’m working for them. And if they’re not properly served, then I have not done my job.
Realizing that other people are human beings just like us is how we begin to appreciate what it means to be a citizen of the world. In the end, we have the same fundamental needs and we mostly want the same things in life.
Unless we understand our fellow humans, we can’t really serve them. I work at that every day. I haven’t figured it all out yet, but that perspective is at least a start. I hope you’ll join me in redefining citizenship for the betterment of humanity.
CRAFT THE CITIZENS WHETHER BELONG TO ILLITERATE OR EDUCATED PARENTS A CITIZEN IS NOT ALWAYS A GOOD CITIZEN ITS CHARACTER AND BEHAVIOR MAKES THEM GOOD/BAD.
Critics also question the very idea of government-sponsored civic education, arguing that it threatens basic principles of intellectual freedom. It would be far better, they say, to leave the teaching of values to parents, churches, and private schools. Thus we would avoid the sorry spectacle of government’s promoting some values at the expense of others.
So how should we assess civic education as public policy? Let’s consider three fundamental questions:
• Is it true that civic education makes no difference or even undermines students’ interest and participation in civic life?
• Have the efforts to promote civic engagement been sufficient to conclude that the experiment has failed?
• Are the differences in values among Americans truly so vast that it will be impossible to develop a reasonable public consensus on the goals of civic education?
The answers to each of these questions, I will argue, give us substantial reasons to doubt the skeptical position on civic education. However, I am not at all sure that those who wish to eliminate civics from the public schools care much about finding out the facts. Their interest in maligning civic education may stem from a desire not to improve the content of public schooling but to undermine public institutions altogether.
Make students good citizens
WHAT is the purpose of education? This question agitates the minds of all thoughtful persons. The conventional answer is that the purpose of education is the acquisition of knowledge and skills by students, so that they can earn their livelihood. More recently, one hears that function of education is to create a quest for knowledge in the students and help them realise their full potential. However, no one lays emphasis on the fact that the true purpose of education is to produce good citizens. If this is the goal, which becomes all the more vital in a democratic set-up, then there is an urgent need to have a re-look at our education system from a fresh point of view.
The personality of a teacher plays an important role in the learning process of a student and in becoming a good citizen
Most of us feel that our citizenship means no more than the privilege of living in a country where we can criticize the government and its policies and enjoy certain advantages which the nation can offer, or at the most dying for her in a war. In fact, each man and woman owes something to his or her motherland all the time, whether in peace or in times of war. The blame for all the ills plaguing the country must really be shared by its citizens, because they are too indifferent to exert themselves to elect better leaders.
In the present society, making of a good citizen is a major challenge. Basic responsibility for preparing good citizens rests with our education system, teachers and parents. It is well known that they have miserably failed in this primary and vital task. India is a land of contradictions; we have one of the best “governability” in the world but very poor governance; we produce so much of food grain that we can’t store it and let it rot, yet many Indians die of hunger; our workforce possesses good quality of hard or functional skills, but is very poor in “soft” skills; we are proud of our great cultural heritage, but are not good citizens. If India is to meet its tryst with destiny, i.e., find its rightful place as the third largest economic power after the US and China, it must produce good citizens. Improving GDP figures alone cannot achieve what we want. We have to have citizens with knowledge, skills, integrity, empathy and desire to excel in diverse fields. The need for preparing good Indians has never been more than today. “Right” education can contribute a lot towards this “soft” aspect.
First, let us understand what makes a good citizen. There are five basic qualities of good citizenship, namely honesty, compassion, respect, responsibility and courage. Honesty with self and others is perhaps the most basic; unless one is true to oneself, it is difficult to perceive that he or she will be true to others. Compassion is related to caring for human beings and other living beings. This creates the emotional bond of individuals with the outside world. Respect includes respect for self, i.e., self-esteem, respect for the laws of the land, respect for human dignity and so on. Responsibility is directly related with action, for example, responsibility of a student is to learn; one should take responsibility of one’s actions, etc. Courage is to stand up to some thing wrong or courage to do the right things even when majority of people oppose it. It means the courage of people like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and King Martin Luther.
A good citizen must have the following traits: Having concern for society uppermost in one’s mind and sacrificing for society at large, if need arises; developing oneself as a person to realise full potential; voicing opinion on issues of common good and as such influencing policy at whatever level possible; contributing in a constructive manner by supporting government/other agencies engaged in the well-being of society; sharing knowledge and skill with the community for its betterment; conserving resources and helping others to do the same; empathy for other living beings; being responsible for one’s own actions; and any other actions which help in making this planet a better place to live in.
There are no areas out of the above in which education system cannot contribute substantially. However, our education system lays more emphasis on teaching the Battle of Panipat rather than on the obligations of citizenship, which the children will assume when they leave educational institutions. At secondary school level, apart from the core subjects, syllabus for all streams must include courses in civics, government, economics, management, current events, etc. History of other nations and of our own country should be taught, but it should not remain mere recital of facts and mugging up of dates of events (as is the case today) by the students.
Social activities and sports are also helpful in the making of a good citizen, as they develop team spirit, cooperation and coordination and concern for others. The personality and character of the teacher play an important role in the learning process of the student and hence in becoming a good citizen. Teachers who make conscious effort to relate the subject to the purpose of living can make all the difference. Unfortunately, our teachers have lost the enthusiasm. They cannot arouse enthusiasm among student to work hard if they have lost it themselves. That is why our education system does not prepare employable professionals and responsible citizens.
The 21st century citizens of the world, especially those of developing countries like India, face enormous challenges. Our democratic system is on trial, we are living in the most dangerous neighborhood which breeds terror. Like the rest of the world, we are also facing the brunt of potentially devastating impact of global climate change. The growing gap between the rich and the poor is nowhere more visible than in our country and we are witnessing the profound impact of religious intolerance. Such challenges pose complex and difficult choices before us. Only a truly educated person can make a rational and reasonable choice. Students should be perfectly groomed by the education system, so that they can participate as enlightened citizens in addressing the threats to our very existence.
What about poor educated or rich illiterate parents?
"Good citizens" are produced by decent people who love their children. Neither of those factors are dependent on wealth or education.
Good citizen means good character holder. . What I believe is that all this is linked with our basic knowledge of religion I doesn't matter weather the parents are literate or illiterate. . if they gave a basic knowledge of religion to their child , there is no doubt That the child will beba good citizens.
It is not necessary that good citizens are produced by educated parents and bad citizens are produced by illiterate parents. I have seen numerous bad citizens produced by educated families and several good citizens produced by illiterate parents. Actually, the word illiterate in reality should mean those who are unaware of the scientific knowledge. Normally, all the parents possess ethical knowledge which makes them educated parents.
