Patriotism is the feeling and expression of love for one’s home country, along with a feeling of unity with those who share those feelings. Along with love, patriotism is the feeling of pride, devotion, and attachment to a homeland, as well as a feeling of attachment to other patriotic citizens.
A good citizen is an individual who takes the initiative to improve their country. Dr Magarate Paccione-Dyszlewski (PHD), Director of Clinical Innovation, Bradley Hospital recons that being an active productive citizen takes kindness, compassion and empathy towards others which will sometimes require tolerance, patience and understanding of different types of tribes and cultures as well as different beliefs that differ from others and since we have diverse cultures and different beliefs.
There are many opinions as to what constitutes a good citizen. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher makes a distinction between the good citizen and the good man, writing, “…there cannot be a single absolute excellence of the good citizen. But the good man is so called in virtue of a single absolute excellence. It is thus clear that it is possible to be a good citizen without possessing the excellence which is the quality of a good man.” Specifically, in his view, the good citizen is measured in relation to ruling and being ruled, the good man only in ruling.
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), who served as the 26th president of the United States of America between 1901 to 1909, said, “The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight; that he shall not be a mere passenger, but shall do his share in the work that each generation of us finds ready to hand; and, furthermore, that in doing his work he shall show, not only the capacity for sturdy self- help, but also self-respecting regard for the rights of others.”
Globally, throughout 2024, the economy is expected to remain uncertain. Economists have predicted that the global economic growth will slow even more in 2024 due to high interest rates, increased energy prices, and a slowdown in the world’s top two economies. Geographical political risks brought about the by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to contribute to the global financial outlook especially in young Nations like South Sudan that has not escaped this global impact. Patriotic citizen from South Sudan are finding it tough and challenging due to a difficult economy and poverty, along with climate change that has previously not been experienced; flooding, property damage, cattle raiding, tribalism and other community challenges that have led to mistrust.
Having the global economic impact in context, the citizens of South Sudan have the responsibility to remain resilience, practice self-control, have faith in our leadership and embrace hope for a better tomorrow. Given that we are all leaders in our sphere of influence, we all carry a responsibility as parents, guardians and patriotic citizens to communicate and assist our children and communities to remain responsible in everything we contribute in the society including what we say, do or even imagine.
God our creator has bestowed upon each one of us the responsibility of being respectful to others and their property. This includes how we related including the way we drive in the highways or cycle along paths or even walk along walkways. Sometimes stress and frustration may lead to over speeding leading to accidents that can be prevented. Always remembering that everyone is important and has a right to be respected and respect back. No one deserves to be embarrassed or bullied in a beautiful country like South Sudan. Everyone you see or meet is battling their own struggle. The best we can do is to remain accommodative and love one another as citizens.
South Sudan has thousands of heros who fought for the country to getit where it is today. We all have the responsibility to promote peace, justice, tolerance and harmony. We have the responsibility to remain compassionate and empathic towards others by remaining positive and hopeful for a better future.
We are told that an idle mind is the devils workshop. We can all become creative and question all we hear from nay sayers about our country. We can use the time we have being creative, researching and designing business ideas that can receive funding. Young people can also engage in sports and even make income from it like the team in our National Basketball team.
Bernard Meltzer a United States of America radio host left us this quote; “Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.”
Good citizenship includes verifying what we post on social media. We have to always as ourselves, is it true, kind, necessary or even helpful to our Country. As patriotic citizens, we have to respect the truth and speak the truth based on facts without misleading or bad mouthing others. We have to understand the laws of karma, where every action, work or deed has equal consequences.
In addition, we all have the responsibility to protect our environment by planting more trees, not dumping rubbish, waste on the ground, trenches, swamps or into the rivers . We have to embrace and copy our ancestors who taught us to listen carefully, respectfully and respond accordingly, work hard to be successful and instill to our children and adults the good values and habits of true leadership, responsibility and patriotism.
Article by: Anek Majak Amuom.
