Global Citizenship Begins At Home

“Each one of us has the potential to be a global citizen, but it need to be unearthed.”

As a citizen of a country, I have a birth certificate, an Aadhar card and an identity card. I am entitled to certain rights and privileges. I obey country’s laws and I enjoy the convenience of social policies and so on. What about a citizen of a globe? Is there anything to characterize the global citizenship? A birth certificate, any card or certain rights? …Not really! Global citizenship means a world where people are treated and respected equally for who they are. It is about an outlook on life, a belief that we can make a difference. It is about inclusiveness. We need to realize how important our connections are with our friends, our neighbourhoods, our communities and with our planet. In other words, Global Citizenship is about people’s awareness of seeking the common good. It is about everyone.

Is my idea too abstract? Here I would like to expound more on the gist of Global Citizenship. Mother Teresa, what to say about that noble lady! She, the self-actualized soul, devoted herself completely to the sufferings of the needy and poor. She volunteered her valuable services to humanity and inspired others by setting an example of a benefactor and a real global citizen.

The crux of the above matter is that the deserving soul is the one who understands the need to tackle the sufferings of the disadvantaged ones. That’s why I call “to do a global citizenship,” not “to be only a part of global citizenship.”

Global citizenship is not only a word to spell or a thought to think. It is more than a feeling to feel. As it is well said that charity begins at home, so are the words rightly said, “Global citizenship begins at home.” The seeds of global citizenship need to be sown right in the minds of children at home.

Let’s take an example of Diwali. If we celebrate Diwali with our craze, not bothering about others like bursting crackers in front of our neighbourer’s house, it would nothing more than tormenting and pissing them off! So here we can play our role as a global citizen by keeping in mind such things. That’s why I said, “we should do,” not “we need to do” global citizenship that begins at home, then neighbourhood, followed by city, state, country and then…world !!

To become  global citizens, we need not to be like Bill Gates who donated crores of rupees for polio affected children. That means that when we are at sight of human’s tortures, we can respond with humanity, not to gloat with smile. Let it spread through children and their parents; through schools and institutions and through government. Let us start by joining hearts and hands across the continents and boundaries. In short if I say, education must be a priority as it instills a feeling of camaraderie and responsibility. And this can be accomplished by the media, I was talking about. They can teach the world to treat people around them with respect, and setting the motto to be the utmost use to the needy and help everyone, everywhere, anywhere and anyhow sans believing and disective theories like caste, creed, colour, region, country or continent.

We are needed to seek a common good beyond our common comfort serve the world, beginning with our neighbourhood, to become global citizens; global citizens, not spectators; global citizens, not subjects; responsible global citizens, seeking the common good…. Let’s act now!!