Politics

Democracy Now: Fundamental Duties of a Citizen - Part 2

American Democracy in the New Century

Written by Gaurav Bhola, MSM, Managing Editor & Community Manager on October 24, 2007 4:55 pm EST

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Nationhood is what its citizens are. The citizen is the component of nationhood. In global society there is corrosion of civil human behavior, growing sharper every day. This gradual corrosion has to be arrested and remedial measures taken as to improve the situation. In our homeland, the US Constitution is revered, its Bill of Rights sacred, and American democracy esteemed, but the fundamental duties of a citizen are neither taught nor revered. Fundamental Duties of citizens serve an important purpose. Specifically, no democratic republic can ever thrive unless citizens are active participants in the process of governance by embracing responsibilities and discharging citizenship duties.

As Americans we value individuality, but the most critical task facing us is to reconcile the claims of individuality and those of the civic society. To accomplish this, the individual citizen has to become cognizant of his social and citizenship duties, thus shaping societal members that are compassionate and solicitous of the inalienable rights of their fellow citizens.

Henceforth, comprehension of our citizenship duties is as important as comprehension of our rights. Man doesnt live in a vacuum, isolated from fellow man. He exists for the good of others as well as the good of himself. The ability of man to differentiate between right and wrong separates him from other beings. This knowledge is inculcated in man by imbibing duties of a citizen, making man responsible to himself and to society in which he resides.

If every citizen executes his duties regardless of considerations of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, language, and creed, most of the melancholy in today’ society could be suppressed, if not eliminated, and entire society uplifted. The lifeblood of civilized life is the adherence and obedience to citizen duties and values.

We value the well-rounded individual, the development of personality of the citizen in all spheres, intellectual, physical, mental, and social, and slowly emerging, the spiritual. The development process of the American citizen must include teachings of fundamental duties, not by legal strictures, but as inherent and innate sense of citizenship duties which in composite with the well-rounded individual, our societal culture can become a panacea for all of our political, administrative, and social ills

It is US duty, to awaken citizen duty through education which should not be merely an exercise of learning for learning sake; but to imbibe, subscribe to, prescribe citizen duties. In democratic governance, citizenship education is essential for every age group, for every profession, and for every station of life. The need of the hour for American citizens is to recognize the importance of fundamental duties of a citizen not only by precept but more so by practice. After all, fundamental duties are the foundations of national character and human dignity.

Democracy Now Part 3:Coming soon…

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One Response to “Democracy Now: Fundamental Duties of a Citizen - Part 2”

Emily Smith Says:
May 28th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
What a beautifully described article on the rights that individuals have and the responsibilities that come with it. Thank you for sharing