my mind wanders... on a thought of a green sunset

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

[101]Good Citizenship

[Instructions: Read. Copy. Post in your blog. Let this article spread. It's free. It's important.]

Good governance is not enough. Let us work on being good citizens. Let us translate the good citizenship values derived from the Preamble of the Constitution into concrete action in order to build our nation.

In recent history, we have engaged in two bloodless and peaceful revolutions. Yet nothing seems to have changed because we have just changed our leaders but have not changed ourselves. We keep blaming our political leaders for the mess we are in. We keep demanding good governance from them but have not demanded anything from ourselves. There seems to be a missing piece in the puzzle. If we demand good governance from those in public office, there must be a counterpart from our end and this is good citizenship. And how do we become good citizens? By living according to good citizenship values which we can derive from the preamble of the Constitution - Faith in God, Unity, Patriotism, Work, respect for Life, Respect for Law and Government, Truth, Justice, Freedom, Love, Equality, Peace, Promotion of the Common Good, Concern for the Family and Future Generations, Concern for the Environment and Order.

These are our values as a people. These are our values that will make us good citizens, if we live by them. They must be translated into concrete action in all aspects of our lives at all times. If we do this, then all our actions no matter how humble will build our nation in much the same way that the simple act of a humble mason of putting one stone on top of another builds a cathedral. And the realization that all our actions based on this values, no matter how small, are building our nation, will give us that sense of nationhood that has heretofore eluded us.

There is nothing new in these good citizenship values. We do not need to learn them. We know them. What is lacking is the will to live by them. How then shall we move from knowing them to living by them? We just have to take a look at the mess we are in and we will realize that it is the absence of this values in the way we live that has brought it about: sinfulness, discord, greed and selfishness, indolence, violence and murder, anarchy, intrigue and mudslinging, oppression, exploitation, hatred, war, broken homes, environmental degradation, violation of human rights. And then we should ask ourselves. Is this the world I want to live in,? Shall I be part of the problem or part of the solution? We just have to decide. Yes, I want to be a better country. Yes, I will live these values at all times, no matter what the cost, through thick and thin, come hell or high water. Because living these values is the only way to turn things around, to have a better world. Sometimes, it will not be easy to live these values. There will be a price to pay. But living these values will also have their own rewards as all good works will bear good fruit, maybe not in the short, but in the long term.

If we are to build a better nation, it is not enough to press for good governance, we have to demand to ourselves, each one of us, young and old, rich or poor, Muslim, Christian or Protestant, good citizenship that is values based and values-driven.

There is still hope for our country. Let us forget the politicians. We can transform this country from below. If we cannot find heroes among our leaders, let us find them among the ordinary people - those who will build our nation by the truly heroic act of being a good citizen day by day all the days of their lives.

my mind fleeted at :8:54 pm ;