The concept of “Global Citizenship” is the idea that your identity and sense of community transcends any geographic or political borders. Your responsibilities and rights are derived from membership in a much broader class: “humanity”.
A Global Citizen is someone who:
- is aware of the world as a whole and has a sense of their own role in it.
- respects and values diversity on all levels.
- is outraged by social injustice, no matter where it happens.
- is willing to act to make the world a better place for everyone.
One of the many important lessons we have hopefully learned from the COVID pandemic is that every country in our world is irreversibly interconnected. What affects one can affect us all. Who would have ever thought the entire global economy could come to a screeching halt so quickly? Historically, it was virtually impossible for an outbreak of a localized virus to be able to spread around the world in a matter of weeks or months.
We are also sadly learning the effects of the action or inaction of governments around the world as regards to climate change. We are all fighting a losing battle unless everyone joins the war. One country can do everything in its power to make the necessary changes to their lifestyles and policies yet will still experience the negative effects of the apathy of their neighbors, no matter how close or far away they may be located. Nature does not recognize manmade borders.
We are becoming more and more globalized every day in almost every way. There is a constant movement of people and goods between states, countries, and continents all around the globe. We are all dependent on one another for labor, crops, and natural resources. We can no longer survive in an isolated existence. Even North Korea depends on China and Russia.
Current technology allows the exchange of ideas faster than ever before. It strengthens our ability to connect to the rest of the world—through the Internet; through the ways in which global environmental factors affect all our lives; through the empathy we feel when we see images of humanitarian disasters in other countries on television; or through the ease with which we can travel and visit other parts of the world.
The international community is getting closer and closer, yet it is easy to stay in your own little bubble if you choose not to participate. Your view of community is what makes you a Global Citizen. In small groups, you can easily exchange ideas with a friend or help a coworker with a problem. Being a Global Citizen simply means having a willingness to do this with people from all nations and cultural backgrounds.
So then, how can you become a global citizen?
Learn About the World
There are many ways in which you can learn about the world, even before you set off to experience it in person. The internet is an indispensable resource – there is a massive amount of information available with just a few clicks of your mouse. Virtually every developed country in the world maintains a tourism-based website that contains information on their own specific culture and history.
Do not limit yourself on your consumption of news, politics, and current affairs. Television stations and newspapers from around the globe have online news sites available to everyone. The broader your exposure to world events, the easier it is to have compassion for those you may not be familiar with.
Long gone are the letter-writing days of international “pen pals” exchanging stories of their lives with overseas friends. You can now meet people in real-time online from anywhere in the world and even have your conversations automatically translated into a familiar language. It has never been easier to connect with people from different cultures and exchange ideas.
Try to understand issues that you do not face regularly and explore things outside of your personal worldview. With the available technology, it is not too much of a stretch for anyone to become more of a Global Citizen!
Support World Music, Art, and Culture
Being a Global Citizen also involves celebrating the various arts, customs, cuisines, and cultures of all people. I believe that music and food are two of the easiest ways to connect with other people.
You can be standing in the middle of a crowd who do not speak the same language and yet share in the mutual joy of dancing to a great song. Fado, mariachi, steel drums, bagpipes, and opera all give an insight into the cultures that created them.
I shudder to think how boring my life would be without having access to authentic Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Italian food. Life without pizza is not worth living! And how can one maintain a well-rounded Bon Vivant’s lifestyle without Mexican tequila, British gin, Japanese sake, Belgian beer, or Spanish wine?
Visit local museums and galleries when they host traveling exhibitions from other worldwide institutions. It is an invaluable opportunity to experience and appreciate art you may otherwise never get the chance to see.
Travel
Of course, the best way to become a Global Citizen is to get out and see the world! Traveling to other countries and immersing yourself in other cultures provides you with invaluable experience through interaction with your fellow man. Never in the history of mankind has it been easier or more affordable to travel around this globe.
There is no better way to learn about this wonderfully diverse world and its inhabitants than by actually seeing sights with your own eyes, listening to music in person, tasting food in the land it comes from, and meeting people in their natural settings. I have always considered international travel as a lifelong continuing education course – sort of like a never-ending field trip!
