On being a good citizen
We have to do better
Third of three posts
By Jim LaJoie
The current coarse American culture requires all of us to do better. The following are some simple suggestions, as to how to begin that process:
Just because someone doesn’t look like you, have the same ancestry, worship the same god, doesn’t mean they are any less American.
Remember you live among your fellow Americans, not “your group” and “the enemy.”
If you are a spiritual person, keep in mind one of the values of the Jesuits, Cura Personalis: “care for the individual person” or respecting each individual as a child of God. If you are not a spiritual person, respect everyone because it is the right thing to do.
Hold the door for someone, say thank you when someone does it for you.
Treat others with the respect you wish to be shown.
Volunteer in your community. Support others who do.
It is never going to be 1950s America again. Accept the fact that the world is always changing.
Keep in mind that change can be destabilizing for some. Give them the necessary patience, and compassion, to eventually come to accept, however reluctantly, those changes.
If you are someone who wears a suit to your Wall Street job, that doesn’t make you more important than someone wearing bib overalls working the fields in Holstein, Iowa. The person working the fields in Holstein isn’t a better American than the one working on Wall Street. America is a tapestry of many types, but we are all fellow Americans. Appreciate and respect the differences.
“There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.” Ralph Nader
Vote. If you didn’t vote, don’t bitch about the outcome.
Be highly skeptical of all politicians, no matter party affiliation.
Don’t be skeptical of all the regular people you interact with. Most Americans are decent human beings.
Help those in need. Remember, any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
If you get your news mostly from Fox, go watch CNN or MSNBC occasionally. If you watch CNN or MSNBC, go watch Fox for a bit. Don’t stay in your comfortable political cocoon, it will pervert your ability to see others for who they are: people with the same basic needs, hopes and desires as you but with different political opinions.
If you primarily get your “news” from Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, stop!
"Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal feeling."- Abraham Lincoln
Try not to label yourself as anything but an American.
Resist the temptation to accept the conspiracy theory of the day.
For at least one day, try not to demonize those you disagree with. If you make it through one day, try to make it through two, and so on....
“America is a tune. It must be sung together." – Gerald Stanley Lee
Don’t think of America as a collection of “blue” or “red” states but as the United States.
Resist the temptation to see all issues as either black or white, right or wrong.. Much of life is shaded in gray.
Be civil in all your daily interactions. You will be surprised at how civilly others will treat you in response.
“I honestly feel like it’s our responsibility as citizens of the world to ground ourselves in selflessness and all do our part.” – Solange Knowles
Don’t be one of those who believe they, and only those who agree with them, are the ones camped on the highest moral ground.
Your god may not be my god. It doesn’t make either of us morally superior.
Listen, actively listen, to someone whose political views you may not agree with. Rather than condemning them for their views, attempt to understand why they believe what they do.
A New York liberal has much more in common with a conversative Kansan than either realizes.
Try to remember, we are all Americans. We all at a basic level each have the same desires, dreams, concerns, and fears as everyone else.
To read the introductory post, follow this link: introductory post
To read Tim Wilson’s post, follow this link: Making important choices